JLo announces first album in eight years 'This Is Me... Now'

Pic Courtesy: AFP

Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez announced a new musical project, 'This Is Me... Now', slated for release in 2023. It will be the singer's first full-length effort in eight years, reports 'Variety'. Along with a video that shows her in her 'This Is Me Then' era 20 years ago, morphing into the present day J.Lo, Lopez issued a track listing that includes among its titles 'Dear Ben Pt. II', presumably a sequel to the earlier album's 'Dear Ben'.

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The album's news release reads as follows: "Heralding a new era of music for Jennifer Lopez, 'This Is Me... Now' chronicles the emotional, spiritual and psychological journey that she has taken over the past two decades. An emotionally raw and honest project, unlike any she has produced before, she writes and sings about her life and experiences that will resonate with us all. In addition, these autobiographical stories informed by the album will result in other very personal projects that will be released next year... more to come on that."

The record is also described to touch on themes of Lopez's tough childhood, her unsuccessful relationships and "the incredible emotional journey she has been on... "This album is a philosophy, a reflection, a zeitgeist moment. It's about hope, faith and true love never dying," the release concludes. The singer also recently told Vogue the album will be "the most honest work she has ever done," and said her hope for the album was to create a world to go with the music, in the manner of Pink Floyd's 'The Wall', but with the focus being love.

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In 2002, Lopez was at the crux of pop culture. Regardless of which way the general public's commentary swayed, the Bronx native had dipped her toes in all facets of the entertainment industry and had further enflamed the media's infatuation for her when she was linked to co-star Ben Affleck. Exactly 20 years ago today, Lopez's 13-song third studio album, 'This Is Me... Then', hit the market and gave way to hits like 'Jenny From the Block' and 'All I Have' to top the charts. The set also included the aforementioned song about Bennifer's romance, with dedications for the actor on the CD sleeve thanking him for inspiring the record.

"When you go back and hear that, you hear the purity and the love there," Lopez said in a 2021 Apple Music interview. "Some things do last forever," she added. In that same conversation, Lopez jokingly said it might be time for "This Is Me... Now," but there was little inclination that might've actually been the case until today. Shortly after releasing her Netflix documentary feature 'Halftime', Lopez and Affleck were married this summer in Las Vegas after the couple rekindled their relationship. On the film front, she most recently starred in the rom-com 'Marry Me' with Owen Wilson and will also star in 'Shotgun Wedding' opposite Josh Duhamel, slated for December release. Under a multiyear pact between Netflix and her Nuyorican Productions banner, Lopez will also play an assassin in the action film 'The Mother', which will come out next year.