Jennifer Hudson never aspired to become an actress, which is rather remarkable, considering the 26-year-old is an Oscar winner.

Growing up in Chicago, Hudson sang gospel music in a local church choir. The big girl with a booming voice yearned to follow in the footsteps of Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston.

She was a finalist on the third season of “American Idol” but was eventually voted off. That might have spelled the end of her music career, but Hudson’s luck held, and she landed the coveted role of Effie in “Dreamgirls.” Her performance as the cast-aside star of a ’60s girl group earned numerous accolades, including an Academy Award.

During her 2007 acceptance speech, an obviously overwhelmed Hudson asked the audience to allow her take in the moment. Maybe she was thinking there was something to this acting thing after all. Or perhaps she was contemplating what to do for an encore.

Since her big night, Hudson has pursued acting and singing with equal zeal.

She is working on her first solo album, due Sept. 30. Her first single, “Spotlight,” arrives this month. She believes her new, more personal sound, will surprise fans.

“Everybody is so used to me sounding like Effie, but this is going to be very different,” she says. “This is me.”

Hudson has completed three more films, the first of which is a supporting role in the long-awaited screen version of the hit HBO series, “Sex and the City.” She plays Louise, a newly arrived transplant from St. Louis, who finds employment as the personal assistant to Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw.