Which "American Idol" alumna won the 2009 Grammy for Best R&B Album?

Jennifer Hudson won the 2009 Grammy for Best R&B Album for her self-titled debut album, Jennifer Hudson.

The award was presented at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards on February 8, 2009. Hudson’s album competed against releases by Al Green, Eric Benét, Boyz II Men, and Raphael Saadiq. Its win helped establish Hudson as a major recording artist after her breakthrough on American Idol.

Hudson finished seventh on the third season of American Idol in 2004, but her career quickly expanded into film, television, and music. In 2007, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Dreamgirls, making her Grammy victory part of an unusually rapid rise across entertainment.

A common mix-up is confusing Best R&B Album with Best Contemporary R&B Album, a separate Grammy category. Hudson won the traditional Best R&B Album award; Mary J. Blige, Ne-Yo, and Jazmine Sullivan were among the nominees in the contemporary category that year.