Jennifer Lopez is gearing up for a big year, with a new, deeply personal album coming soon, and a documentary film to go along with it.
The celebrated singer and actress walked the red carpet at the 2023 Elle Women in Hollywood event in Los Angeles, and she spoke with ET’s Nischelle Turner about her forthcoming album, This Is Me… Now, and how she teamed up with her husband, Ben Affleck, to work on the film project tied to the record.
“This project was something I didn’t really plan,” Lopez explained, adding that it all came from being inspired by her love story with Affleck, and her romantic journey through her life, which truly inspired her.
“When the music was done I just thought to myself, ‘There’s more of a story to be told here. There’s been a bigger journey than just a love story here.’ And so it became a much bigger, fuller project, with an incredible message,” Lopez said. “And I realized I had to really get personal to tell it.”
Affleck — who came out to support Lopez at the event, and shared some sweet PDA with her on the red carpet — helped co-write This Is Me…Now: The Film, which chronicles the creation of the album and Lopez’s real-life story of love and finding happiness.
When it came to working with Affleck, Lopez explained, “We collaborate very well together.”
“And nobody knows my story more than he does,” she added. “So we were able to kind of sit down and really dig into it, in a way that I don’t think any other writer could’ve done with me.”
Lopez admitted that she hasn’t been this excited or “on edge about a project in many, many years,” but felt safe and supported by her husband while they worked on it together.
“The scary thing is putting it out,” Lopez added. “That’s the scary part.”
Lopez was one of the night’s honorees at the star-studded gala, and the celebrated entertainer said “it feels really, really special, and it’s humbling.”
“Because you come up and you have your dreams and you’re trying to do your thing, and then to be recognized — you always want to be part of the girls club, right?” Lopez said. “We talk about the boys club, but the girls club is much much cooler, and it’s harder to get into.”
“To be honest, I’ve always kind of marched to the beat of my own drum,” she added. “[And] it feels great to be recognized by other women.”
Lopez’ new album, This Is Me… Now, and the accompanying Prime Video documentary, drop Feb. 16, 2024.
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