Ravinia 2019, Issue 3, Week 6

Kennedy Holmes was fortunate to have Jennifer Hudson as her coach on season 15 of The Voice . Holmes, a mere 13 years old when she galvanized all four coaches during the blind audition, emerged as the season’s front-runner (“I think she could win,” Blake Shelton was heard whispering to Hudson), only to finish fourth in the final voting. Her placement was sudden, shocking, and scandalous (and that’s only the s ’s). For Hudson, it must have felt like déjà vu—and this is where her unique perspective was invaluable to Holmes. This year marks the 15th anniversary of Hudson’s own sudden elimination from American Idol , a turn of events so wholly unexpected that Elton John took to social media to decry the result. The advice she offered to Holmes? “As long as you have your talent, you always win,”Hudson shared in a phone interview with Ravinia. “That’s what I told myself when I was eliminated. I said [to her], ‘Let me be an example for you.’ It’s not always about winning; it’s about taking your opportunities. Everything leads to the next. I wanted to do American Idol for the experience, and look at the things I’ve gotten to do since.” BY DONALD LIEBENSON Jennifer Hudson unstoppers her memory and shows she’s an idol voice JULY 1 – JULY 14, 2019 | RAVINIA MAGAZINE 21