Links”>Jennifer Hudson gave us goosebumps on goosebumps with her commanding performance of “A Change Is Gonna Come” at the 2020 Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19. After Sen. Kamala Harris closed her remarks, the singer performed Sam Cooke’s famous track at the Harold Washington Cultural Center in Chicago, under a gorgeous tiffany dome. According to Variety, Hudson actually performed the “Aretha Franklin” version of the song — perhaps a nod to the upcoming Respect biopic?
Hudson looked like a vision in an orange gown and gold earrings, but, naturally, it’s her voice that stole the show as she belted out the soulful song with two dueling pianos and a saxophone in the background. The pianists also held a special connection to Franklin: Richard Gibbs was her longtime piano player and Fred Nelson was her conductor. I have no choice but to watch her performance on repeat, and you can too, in the clip above starting at the 2:15:00 mark.