Playing legendary musician Aretha Franklin in the upcoming biopic Respect, Jennifer Hudson is lending more than just her Academy Award winning talents to the role. The movie, which will heavily feature classic songs from Franklin’s catalog, will also feature one original song from Hudson.
The new track, “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” was co-written by Carole King and is set to be officially unveiled to the public on Friday. King, of course, co-wrote “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” one of Franklin’s biggest hits, so the new collaboration is only fitting.
Hudson was handpicked by Franklin for the role, an honor that she does not take for granted:
“The process of creating this song was like constructing the greatest tribute I could possibly offer to her spirit. It was the final exhale of this extraordinary project and one that I let out with complete fulfillment. Being able to do so with Carole and Jamie was an incredible privilege.”
Are you as excited as we are about the new song coming out on Friday?