Jennifer Hudson nails 'signature' riffs of Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and more

Jennifer Hudson is pointing out an undeniable truth about iconic singers.

When powerhouse vocalists add melismatic moments to their songs, belting out notes in a way that isn’t written on any sheet music, they each have their own incomparable way of doing it.

During a recent episode of Hudson’s eponymous talk show, the entertainer treated her audience to a few classic examples, starting with her own vocal styling.

“So I’ve noticed that in the music form, we all have a signature riff," she explained. "You ever notice, when you listen to your favorite artist? So mine is ‘whoa-oh-oooh-OW!’ I don’t care what record it is, I’m going to give you ‘whoa-oh-oooh-OW!'"

Then she moved on to another famed singer.

"Mariah Carey, she sings, ‘OH-oo-OH-oo-OH-oo-OH-oo-OH-oo-OH!’ from ‘Vision of Love,’" Hudson demonstrated to cheers from the crowd. "Right?"

Before moving on to fellow "American Idol" alum Fantasia, Hudson said, "Fantasia, don't kill me." She then said, in a perfect impression, "Fantasia is ‘yeah, ye-ye-yeah, yeah, yeah!’ She always says, ‘Jennifer, I don’t say it like that.’ I be like, ‘Fantasia, that’s your signature.’"

From there, the EGOT-winning star just kept proving that Fantasia and other singers with recognizable vocal riffs are in good company.

"Whitney (Houston) — ‘shoop!’" she said of the beloved late singer's sound. "Does she not do that? Not 'shoo,' but ‘shoop!’ ... That’s her signature."

And when it came to the final artist in her roundup, Hudson simply said, "C’mon, we all know Michael Jackson’s."

Before the host even began her demonstration, shouts of “hee-HEE!” came from the audience.

She responded, “See! We all got a signature.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com