Jennifer Hudson to perform show at Apollo Theater following Respect premiere

Jennifer Hudson will perform the first show with an audience at New York’s Apollo Theater since March 2020 later this month.

The intimate show on 19 August will see the 39-year-old perform songs from her own catalogue, as well as classic Aretha Franklin hits featured in the long-awaited biopic Respect.

The Queen of Soul, who died in 2018, handpicked Academy Award-winner Hudson to portray her on the big screen.

Mastercard will sponsor three events related to Hudson and the release of Respect, to honour Black Business Month.

The singer is an ambassador for the financial corporation, who will also sponsor the film’s premiere at the Regency Village Theatre before its wider release on 13 August.

Hudson is also due to appear at a celebration the day before the Apollo show, where she will unveil the “Strivers Gallery”, featuring portraits made with Tyler Clark’s 3D hair technique.

"I'm excited to celebrate the Black-women owned business entrepreneurs that Mastercard's Strivers Initiative spotlights both at the event in their honour and at the intimate concert at the Apollo,” Hudson revealed. “It's a dream come true to perform at the Apollo and an honour to celebrate with Ms. Franklin's music, who has been an inspiration to me my entire life. I continue to be in awe of Black female role models who serve as activists and advocates in their communities and I am thrilled, through my partnership with Mastercard, to shine a light on them."

Ticket sales to the live show at the 1,500-capacity venue in Harlem will benefit Fearless Fund, an investment project built by women of colour.