Jennifer Hudson knows a thing or two about charity. She founded the Julian D. King Gift Foundation with her sister after all. So when the people behind Pinoy Relief, an initiative that provides aid to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, asked her to sing at their show last night (March 11) at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, she not only said yes but brought the crowd to their feet with her powerfully emotional performance.

Grooving through songs like 'I Can't Describe (The Way I Feel)' and 'Why Is It So Hard,' Hudson had the crowd entranced with her high energy and crisp vocals. However, the thing that really gave people chills was her ode to Whitney Houston.

"Everywhere I go, I love to always make a moment, my idol's moment, Whitney Houston," she told the audience. "I woke up with her on my mind today so I wanted to share."

Hudson then began singing a slowed-down, soulful version of 'Saving All My Love For You.' It was obvious this was a clear crowd favorite Whitney track as everyone couldn't stop cheering. There was passion on the chanteuse's face as she hit each note -- enough to give those in the theater chills. But the Chicago native didn't stop there; Hudson seamlessly transitioned into 'And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going,' where she belted so strongly that she really didn't even need a mic to carry her voice into the audience. Once she finished that medley, the crowd rushed to their feet -- something she was surprised by.

"Well, I didn't expect that, but thank you very much," Hudson said. "I'm loving the energy in the crowd tonight."

The 32-yeard-old songstress ended her set with 'Bleed For Love,' the theme song featured in the Winnie Mandela biopic 'Winnie Mandela: A Life,' in which Hudson played the main character. She dedicated the moving song to the people of the Philippines.

Check out more photos from the event below.

Jennifer Hudson
Emily Tan, The Boombox
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Jennifer Hudson
Emily Tan, The Boombox
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Jennifer Hudson
Emily Tan, The Boombox
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Jennifer Hudson
Emily Tan, The Boombox
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Jennifer Hudson
Emily Tan, The Boombox
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Jennifer Hudson
Emily Tan, The Boombox
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Jennifer Hudson
Emily Tan, The Boombox
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Jennifer Hudson
Emily Tan, The Boombox
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Jennifer Hudson
Emily Tan, The Boombox
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