Jennifer Lopez is planning a new “musical experience” with her album This is Me…Now, a sequel to her 2002 album This is Me…Then. She posted the first look at the experience on social media recently, announcing the project with a cryptic message and video.
Videos by American Songwriter
Lopez initially announced the album exactly a year ago on November 25, releasing more details three months ago, and shared the most recent news on this past Saturday. Today, November 27, she posted a more cohesive look at the experience with another video announcing that it all begins on February 16. Fans and critics are speculating that this new album will focus on Lopez’s rekindled relationship with Ben Affleck. The two dated in the early 2000s but broke up in 2004. Last year, they were married in July.
This speculation comes from the inclusion of the song “Dear Ben Pt. II,” a follow-up to the track “Dear Ben” from This is Me…Then, which Lopez wrote when they first started dating. According to the track list, other songs on the album include “Midnight Trip to Vegas” and “Mad in Love,” further supporting the idea that the album is about the reignited Lopez-Affleck romance.
[RELATED: The 20 Best Jennifer Lopez Quotes]
“This musical experience is a manifestation, through music, film, and reality, of a life’s journey on the search for the truth about love,” the posted video states. The initial video included various clips from what looked like a musical movie starring Lopez, hinting at an elaborate visual element to the album.
The new video, which Lopez posted today, includes the initial clips, but also a longer scene of a rain-drenched Lopez throwing love notes into a fireplace. The film will be released through Prime Video. Lopez also announced her first single from the album, titled “Can’t Get Enough,” which can be pre-saved now.
This is Me…Now comes 22 years after it’s predecessor, and is Lopez’s first new album offering since A.K.A. from 2014. This is Me…Then was dedicated to Ben Affleck, and there’s a good chance the new album will be as well. Since the first album was followed by a high-profile split, there’s a bittersweetness associated with it. But, since this new album is a culmination of their relationship rekindling and their happily ever after, This is Me…Now is interpreted as much more hopeful.
(Featured Image by Mindy Small/Getty Images)
