You've Never Heard a "Winter Wonderland" Quite Like Jennifer Hudson's (VIDEO)
The EGOT winner kicked off the Christmas season in style for NBC's 2024 Christmas in Rockefeller Cente.
Jennifer Hudson walked into Rockefeller Center on December 4 to captivate audiences worldwide and didn't disappoint!
We're still unpacking all the perfection that was NBC's 2024 Christmas in Rockefeller Center special, especially how good the Christmas tree looked when it was lit. However, Hudson's unforgettable rendition of "Winter Wonderland" stands out most. A few hours after the special ended, Hudson shared some of the footage on her Instagram account.
Her version of "Winter Wonderland" incorporated elements of jazz and classic big-band brass instrumentation, with a bit of gospel thrown in for good measure. All of those elements combined with her iconic, Grammy-winning vocals gave fans the ultimate holiday experience. Hudson nailed it — and busted out a few wild high notes as the cherry on top!
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The performance was energetic (at one point, Hudson exclaimed, "I like that!" as the saxophonist went next-level on their solo), resulting in one of the most memorable musical moments in a night full of them. We'll come out and say it: Hudson sleighed this performance.
"Oh my goodness," host Kelly Clarkson said afterward, stealing the words out of everyone else's mouth. "That was so beautiful."
Jennifer Hudson's "Winter Wonderland" is shoe-throw-worthy
Longtime fans of The Voice know of Hudson's penchant for throwing her shoes when she experiences a particular fantastic singer doing their thing — and it's a wonderfully quirky habit she's had for years. We have a feeling that if Hudson could've seen herself on stage at Rockefeller Center on December 4, she would've tossed a shoe or two onto the stage in appreciation!
In a 2023 episode of her daytime talk show, The Jennifer Hudson Show, Hudson explained when she first experienced the shoe-throwing phenomenon during one of her earliest auditions for a touring gig with none other than Barry Manilow.
"When I finished singing, all the judges threw stuff at me off the table," she said, adding that while she didn't get the job, she discovered a new way to express herself.
"Their notepads went flying, their pens went flying... When I was on The Voice, I couldn't help myself. When you get the singing and it sounds so good, before I knew it, that shoe went flying across the room. It's my expression. So what I'm saying is, if you catch a shoe here at the happy place, it is my compliment to you. It's like a standing ovation."
