Jennifer Lopez: “I often found myself in toxic relationships”

Jennifer Lopez is finally back. Not with a romantic comedy (“Marry Me” in 2022), not with an action film (“The Mother” in 2023), not with a romantic action film (“Shotgun Wedding” in 2023). She’s back with neither a fashion collab (Intimissimi, Coach, Ralph Lauren), nor a line of cosmetics (JLo Beauty), nor a line of spritzes (DeLola Alcohol). In this exciting start to the year, tireless workers wear our favorite clothes: singer K. Twenty years after her album “This Is Me…Then,” in which she sang of her love for her then-fiancé Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez is releasing “This Is Me…Now,” where She sings of her love of two decades. Later to her new husband, the same Ben Affleck, with whom she got back after many adventures. Artist, actress, writer, superstar, who never does work by halves, even in the albums of big budget films like Beyoncé. Hence a visual album, in which she plays her own role – the role of a naive lover who eventually realizes that his greatest love story is with her… Full of surprises, jokes and spectacular dance performances, “This Is Me Now :A Love Story” represents an album that, if it smacks of 2000s R’n’B, is by no means nostalgic. Turning firmly towards the future Jennifer Lopez, 54, confirms her status as an icon. Exclusive interview with a superstar.

He. – This is your first album in ten years. What was the trigger?

Jennifer Lopez. , I wrote “This Is Me…Then” when Ben and I fell in love twenty years ago. It was the first time in my life that I felt such deep love, as if I had found my soulmate. Destiny allowed us to come back into each other’s lives. This new album, “This Is Me…Now” is inspired by this second chance, this incredible miracle that I didn’t expect. I have been an extremely romantic my entire life and I finally found the answers to my questions: Does true love exist? Can it last forever? Often we are told no. Today I believe that yes, love lasts a lifetime. It’s not necessarily linear, it doesn’t always look like you imagined, but there is a form of love that never disappears. This is what I have learned. And that’s what I want to share with the whole world. Now it’s time to make music again.

He. – You envisioned this new album as a sequel to “This Is Me… Again.” For example, we get the song “Dear Ben Part II”, but also a hint of “Jenny from the Block”…
JL- yes of course ! In the song “Hearts and Flowers”, I sing “I’m still here, I’m still there…” without completing the sentence (laughs). I loved the creative process, this album seemed to arise very naturally to me. I had the best musician and the best producer, Rosette Chahayed (producer of Doja Cat, Drake or SZA – editor’s note), who I really wanted to work with. We didn’t know each other before, we met every day for two months with our small team. Both albums have similarities, a feel and a sound that is quite close, probably because the source of inspiration is the same. But this is a different task. The more you listen to the album, the more you’ll see the accompanying movie, “This Is Me Now: A Love Story” – not to mention the behind-the-scenes footage, which we’ll show you in Part Three – and the more You will see if it is special, join this musical experience.

He. – The movie retells a fictional (and fantastic!) version of your love life (marriage, breakup, rebound, etc.), and concludes that, ultimately, your big story is with you…

JL- (She smiles) It’s a romantic movie but really, it doesn’t look like a traditional love story. I wanted to tell how I got there. When I finished the album, I told myself that I had something very special in my hands. I talked to director Dave Meyers about it, we imagined how to flesh out the story of this arch romantic man who finds peace after twenty years of frantic pursuit of love. We worked together a lot in the editing room, and oh my God! The result is beyond our expectations. We are very proud! It looks like a blockbuster with a lot of special effects, it’s beautiful.

In the film, the love-struck heroine moves from one relationship to another and finds herself in dangerous affairs, which fall apart in no time.

He. – The film has a lot of humor, action, hilarious bits with shrinks… and more sad moments too: it’s a fairy tale with quite dark chapters.
JL- Yes, for example the setting of the song “Rebound” in the glass house, where my boyfriend gets violent and we fight. This is a symbol of a toxic relationship. And I am someone who has often found myself in this type of situation. I wanted us to show that. In the film, the love-struck heroine moves from one relationship to another and finds herself in dangerous affairs, which fall apart in no time. This happens when you don’t take time out for yourself. This scene from “Rebound” is one of my favorites, because you can’t tell a romantic story without addressing its flaws and shortcomings. It’s my role as an artist to share these moments of vulnerability, even if it’s uncomfortable. This film is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. This scared me a lot. Now that we’re going to show it to the whole world, I’m still scared but I’m proud that I made it this far. And being able to share that.

He. – Were you the one who asked Ben Affleck to participate in the film?

JL- Yes ! Ben is my partner, my husband, and an excellent screenwriter. I love working with him, whatever we can do together is a source of happiness for me. They helped us as much as they could, although it was Dave, Matt Walson and I who did most of the work (laughs).

He. – He also appears!

JL- Yes, but don’t say anything, I want the audience to find out for themselves (laughs). He has a small role, this person, this voice, this energy, which is constantly in your mind without you realizing it. We decorated her well, I don’t know if you will recognize her or not! (laughing)

I loved filming with Jane Fonda, I’m forever grateful to her

He. – That’s not the only cameo: Keke Palmer, Trevor Noah, Sofia Vergara… and many others make up the Zodiac Council that follows and guides your every move. One council was chaired by Jane Fonda herself!

JL- I love Jane. Both actress, woman and activist. I chose each of the twelve members of the Council on the basis of his representation. I remember asking her: “Jane, if you could take part in my film, I would be very happy” (laughs). She really believed in me, she was one of the first people to say yes. I loved doing films with him, I am forever grateful to him.

He. – You admire them, but you are also an icon. How do you feel when little children encourage you?

JL- that’s wonderful. You know, I’ve always seen myself as this young girl from the Bronx trying to achieve her dreams. When I look at what I’ve done over the last 20-30 years, I’m blown away, “Wow, it’s true, I’ve been doing this for a long time.” I grew up watching “West Side Story”, I was fascinated by Rita Moreno, it was something different for me to see someone like me singing, dancing and acting on screen. It was after seeing Selena Quintanilla (the Mexican-born cult singer who was murdered by the president of her fan club in 1994 – editor’s note) that I wanted to make this my career. You never expect people to see you like this. It’s really one of those things we dream about in life.

He. – Pop today is dominated by women, who control their music and their careers. What do you think ?

JL- I like it, I think it’s great. It’s fantastic to see so many women at the top of the industry dominating the charts in this way. When I started I didn’t see myself as a female artist, but as an artist in general, I was mainly trying to stand out musically. All those who are hits today, like Adele, Taylor, Beyoncé or Billie Eilish, create music that is a pure expression of their personality. This is their expression. And so it should be.

The album “This Is Me…Now” (BMG) will be released simultaneously in stores and the film “This Is Me Now: A Love Story” on Prime Video on February 16.