By Chiara Piacentini
Staff Writer
A little over 20 years after “This is Me…Then” came out, Jennifer Lopez released the 16-track sequel on Feb. 16, titled “This is Me…Now.” It’s apparent that Lopez is in her true love era as the album features songs that reflect on her rekindled romance with Ben Affleck two decades after they called off their engagement. But Lopez makes it clear this album is not only about the love of her life, but also finding a way to love herself.
“Be good for yourself and you can be good for the world. Everything starts with you, we sometimes forget that,” said Lopez.
Each song includes the R&B and hip-hop styles that made Lopez a star back in the aughts, but with a modern twist to fit this decade. Take “This is Me…Now,” which takes inspiration from Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River.” Or “Dear Ben, Pt. II” which includes some verses written by established English songwriter RAYE and features a grounded harp which is an improvement from her original piece in “This is Me…Then.”
When she wrote her “Then” album, Lopez hadn’t considered creating a “Now” album, but her life took a twist of its own when she reconnected with Affleck years later. Looking back on it now, she sees that her love journey was “meant to be” since both albums are about Affleck.
The 16-track sequel takes on a rom-com theme: two former lovers in search of their soulmates before coming together again with more knowledge and competence this time around. This storyline is a loose reflection of the Taino legend of Alida. The legend goes that Alida fell in love with a Carib boy the night before her wedding.
The “Now” album is meant to act as a memoir for Lopez’s previous relationship struggles, but more importantly, emphasizing her happily-ever-after. No detail is left unsaid — even the part where she mentions that she and Affleck changed into their wedding outfits in the church bathroom in “Midnight Trip to Vegas.”
Lopez’s album has become a resounding success, particularly on Apple iTunes. The album stole the top spot of Apple Music’s top 100 chart just a few days after its release. Some specific songs within the album that are currently gaining the most attention include “This is Me…Now,” “Not. Going. Anywhere.” and “Can’t Get Enough.”
In an interview on “The Tonight Show,” Lopez explained that the album is a “20 year project of [her] whole entire music career and how [she] got from then to now.”
That 20-year project could end up being the last of her music career, as Lopez hinted in another conversation with Kelly Clarkson that her “This is Me…Now” tour could be her farewell to singing.
“That’s my goal when people come to my show. I always want people to leave and be like, ‘That’s the best show I ever saw!’ One last hurrah!” Lopez said.
Along with the album, Lopez has also released an accompanying film, “This is Me…Now: A Love Story.” The film features A-list celebrities including Affleck, Jane Fonda, Post Malone, Fat Joe and Sofia Vergara. The storyline captures Lopez’s emotional rollercoaster throughout her past three marriages from a dream-like perspective.
Compared to her album, the film has also been relatively successful, having made it to the number two spot on Amazon Prime’s watchlist.
Lopez’s newest album is available to stream on Spotify and her movie is available on Prime Video.
