"Walk of Famer" and Golden Globe-winning actress & singer Jennifer Hudson is the cover girl for the Winter issue of Essence Magazine.

In the January 2014 issue, Hudson reflects on finding herself and building confidence to win over movie directors despite the challenges she faced during filming. The singer also dished on how much she loves her fiance David Otunga.

Check out the highlights below:

On her love for David:

“I just love being with him. We have so much fun. We’ve shared so many special moments, like when we flew down to Key West last summer for a friend’s wedding. I’m on the road so much for work that I didn’t even want to go…but David persuaded me to go and it was just the two of us. We’re usually surrounded by so many people that it’s tough to have privacy. But on this trip we could party with our friends, then just disappear for hours…it was so freaking fun.”

On playing Winnie:

I was so nervous about doing a good job that I started working on the accent a couple of months before I even got there. So much was done to suppress Winnie's voice, to keep her quiet. Winnie's story needed to be told."

On The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete:

"It was a huge stretch for me to play Gloria. The drugs, the tattoos, the prostitution—her life is so different from my own."

Black Nativity director Kasi Lemmons on Jen's casting:

"I wrote the role for her. She has such a unique combination of fragility and strength. She really exceeded my expectations."

On finally finding herself:

"I spent my twenties figuring out what I wanted to do, and trying everything. But by 30, my foundation was set. I became confident and clear about the path I wanted to take...Now I've really settled into myself. And I'm stronger than I've ever been."

The new issue of Essence Magazine hit newsstands Friday (Dec. 6th). Also, check out the singer talking about why her new album will be her most expressive yet and the inspiration behind her favorite track: