Jennifer Hudson, suffering the murders of her mother, brother and nephew, expressed gratitude Thursday for her four Grammy nominations for her debut album.

"It's been a childhood dream of mine to release an album," she said in a statement, " so to receive four Grammy nominations is truly a blessing. I'm extremely honored and humbled by the nominations."

Hudson, 27, was nominated for best R&B album for her self-titled album, best female R&B vocal performance, best R&B song for "Spotlight" and best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals for her duet with Fantasia, "I'm His Only Woman."

The nominations were announced on the same day her estranged brother-in-law, William Balfour, was ordered held without bail in the Chicago shooting deaths of Hudson's mother Darnell Donerson, 57, brother Jason Hudson, 29, and his own stepson, Julian King, 7.