Jennifer Hudson delivered a striking performance of the aria “Nessun Dorma” at We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert.
Joined by the New York Philharmonic, the Respect star belted the Giacomo Puccini opera tune to an audience of 60,000 people in Central Park. It was notably the same classical piece Aretha Franklin had performed at the Grammys in 1998.
On August 19th, Franklin performed the track as an encore at a special show at The Apollo in New York City. The concert came days after the release of the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect, which she currently stars in as the Queen of Soul.
Hudson’s performance at We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert is just one of many. The evening’s star-studded lineup includes Paul Simon, The Killers, Polo G, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Journey, Wyclef Jean, Kane Brown, Jennifer Hudson, Cynthia Erivo, Elvis Costello, LL Cool J, Jon Batiste, Andrea Bocelli, Earth, Wind & Fire, Lucky Daye, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Barry Manilow, the New York Philharmonic, and Carlos Santana, who will be reuniting onstage with Rob Thomas.
In a press conference on July 27th, Mayor Bill de Blasio, music industry executive Clive Davis, and Live Nation and NYCEDC chair Danny Meyer announced the lineup at Central Parks Great Lawn. The announcement for the show, which de Blasio claimed would be “one of the greatest Central Park concerts in history,” came alongside a tweet from de Blasio requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination would be necessary to attend the concert.
To create “an all-time New York state of mind,” Davis told Rolling Stone that he “wanted every genre of music represented, so I reached out to artists across rock, rap, pop, Broadway, classical music.”
Monaleo has steadily built a strong connection with listeners over the past few years. She is an MC known for sharp lyricism and a high level of energy that shows up on every record. 2026 is shaping up to be an important year for her, with growing speculation that a larger project may be coming soon. That idea feels even more likely with the arrival of her latest release, “Crossroads Freestyle.” The brief, one minute track landed on YouTube on Tuesday and has already been getting a lot of positive reactions. Once again, Monaleo leans into her confidence, delivering tight verses over a smooth, consistent beat. It is a solid release that fans will definitely want to tap into.
Release Date: April 14, 2026
Genre: Hip-Hop
Album: N/A
Getting cake by the pound, I'm greater than britain
I'm greater than Alex on top like a attic (Uh-uh)
You pushing for Clipse I'm peeping a Malice
But fear ain't a factor I'm up for the challenge
The queen of my palace from Houston, not Dallas
