Photo: Getty Images
Students at a Texas high school got a special surprise when a legend walked through the door.
Jennifer Hudson shocked students who were rehearsing for a musical performance at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts in downtown Dallas this week, according to FOX 4. The students are currently rehearsing for The Wiz, which premieres next month.
"It was a total surprise to the students ... It was a very surreal moment for a lot of them. It was a great opportunity for our kids. It's something they are going to remember for a lifetime," Garry Williams, Dean of Arts Conservatories, told the Dallas Observer. Theatre students were in the middle of performing "Don't Bring Me No Bad News" when Hudson walked in. She watched the whole performance and applauded at the end.
"I didn’t even know what was happening. I kind of blanked and then everyone was like, ‘Jennifer Hudson’s here!’ And I’ve been practicing, and she is one of my biggest inspirations. It was just surreal to see a mentor and someone I look up to in front of me while I was singing," student Sydney Roberts told the news outlet.
The EGOT-winning singer and actress answered a few questions for the students about "being resilient and trusting in your abilities and gifts" and even asked them to sing "Happy Birthday" to her son who just turned 13.
"It was an opportunity for her to sit down and discuss with the kids her career in the arts and her preparation process. They also talked about vocal care, her life goals and aspirations as a kid and how to be pushed and motivated by your peers," Williams said.
FOX 4 reports J.Hud was in town to promote her new talk show, which is slated to premiere on the network next month.