If there is a defining moment in the life of Jennifer Lopez it would have to be the evening of February 23rd, 2000. Jennifer was a presenter at the 43rd annual Grammy Awards and that was the night she wore the green Versace dress. That was the moment she became J-Lo. Whether she won a Grammy that night or not is irrelevant. What is relevant is that on that moment in time she became the hottest women in the world and no babe on any stage or red carpet before or since has ever been hotter.
These days J-Lo is as busy (and as interesting) as always. Her new CD “Como Ama Una Mujer” has been a huge success and she has yet another movie coming out called “Bordertown.” In this flick Jennifer plays a journalist investigating a series of murders along the Mexican/American border. Her co-star is the acclaimed actor Antonio Banderas. Last year Jennifer and her husband Marc Anthony co-starred in a movie called “El Cantante” which was based on the life of salsa king Hector Lavoe. Marc also worked with Jennifer on the new CD.
How do you manage so many things keep going on?
Jennifer Lopez: “I try to get a lot of sleep (laughs). I work really hard. But now it’s better. I try to take time for myself and relax when I can. The most important thing to me now is my family and home and stuff like that. I try to give all the time I can to that. I really balance it out now.”
Tell us about all the things coming up soon…
Jennifer Lopez: “Two albums and two movies. But see, I did it over the past few years. It just happens so that it all is coming out this year. Which is good because I had a couple of years in which I was doing nothing. No promotion – nothing.”
When did the “Bordertown” project begin?
Jennifer Lopez: “Greg Nava (director) came to me and said he has this project, and he has been researching and been working on for a few years. And he asked me if I want to do it. And once he told me what it was about I felt like it was my responsibility to try to do make this happen with him. It is such a tragic story and a horrible thing that was still going on. I just felt like I want to do it with him. Right from then we both were two crazy passionate people trying to get this thing done. And we did and I think it’s a really important movie.”
Through this movie you actually became a colleague of us journalists. Do you understand us better now?
Jennifer Lopez: “You know I understand you guys have your job to do. And I also understand that’s the same type of kind of creative outlet in writing and the ambition of finding the truth. I mean that’s where my character was really coming from. At first it’s the kind of glory and her ambition and for the wrong reasons she wants to be famous, to be kind of a star in her field. And then it comes to what it’s really about. A hoping that you can change the world and make it somehow better kind of movie. And that was the journey of this character in this film.”
Could you identify with this character?
Jennifer Lopez: “I guess in a way. Because I understand what it is to want to do well in your job, and to have your priorities changed.”
How was the cooperation with Antonio Banderas?
Jennifer Lopez: “It was great! I love working with Antonio. He is an amazing actor. And he’s one of those intense actors who, when you work with them, you help each other to be better. He had a smaller part in the film, so we didn’t get to really do as much as we would have liked. So hopefully we work together again soon.”
What are the three most precious things in your life?
Jennifer Lopez: “Probably my family, my faith and my health (laughs).”
What does a regular day look like for you?
Jennifer Lopez: “ Well, it depends. We are like gypsies. We do a lot of travelling when we are working. And when we are not working it’s kind of like organizing and get ready to work. So we don’t really have normal days. When we are at home we try to dedicate our time to being home. We try to nurture that side of our life, seeing family and catching up with friends and getting some quality time together. And on the road we are sitting like with you guys here and doing interviews all day or going to a premier or on a set or in a studio. So it depends. But there’s no normal day for me.”
The title of the album means in English: How women love... Would you say men will understand the other gender better after listening to your songs?
Jennifer Lopez: “(Laughs) Yeah, what I always say about this album is: What we think women love this way. We think of it more intensely, more passionately, more open, more a different way. To me it’s really like this saying: Anybody who has been really in love, loves like a woman. (laughs loudly) You know what I mean? So that was kind of the idea. This is what it’s like for women, what we go through. It goes to a lot of different things of being in love, going through a heartbreak, and when you’re strong, when you’re broken, when you’re totally in bliss. There are different kinds of emotions on this album. But I think anybody who is in love could relate to it. Understand woman? I don’t know. I don’t know if you could ever really totally completely understand women. (laughs)”
Can you tell us something about the songs “Me haces falta,” “Amarte es todo,” and “Apresurate?”
Jennifer Lopez: “’Me haces falta’ means basically ‘I miss you.’ But your presence is just missed. The song is basically about I’m just angry about myself because I made this happen. And now I just want to get you back. And ‘Amarte es todo’ is basically about being in love. Basically the act of love is eveything to me, being able to love you. It’s still a complete and total feeling. And the other one ‘Apresurate’ is about wanting being a part from the person you want to be with.”
In one song we can hear you with Marc Anthony…
Jennifer Lopez: “Number 6 is called ‘Por Arriesgarnos.’ Actually it was the first song we were recording for the album. It didn’t start out as a duet. I sang the first voice in it. There was a second voice, a harmony, a man’s voice. So Marc said ‘I sing it, I’ll do it,’ because he was in the studio with me and he sings (laughs) and he was producing the album. I just love the way our voices sound together. I just kept saying ‘put his voice up more’ because it was really barred in the track, like a harmony part, and I said ‘no, put it up some more, some more, blend them together!’ Eventually it just became a duet.”
Do you like parts of your family being at your work?
Jennifer Lopez: “You know it’s funny. You have like creative soul mates. People you have really good chemistry with, whether it’s directors or songwriters. Marc and I, he’s the one singer I keep singing with over and over again, even when we work. And there are just people in your life where you just have that natural chemistry.”
How were the recording with your husband?
Jennifer Lopez: “It was funny for me actually, because it was the first time that I wasn’t in control of the whole thing. He was really in charge. He produced the album, he was going to find the right sound. So it was kind of like a different experience for me that way. We had a good time and it was beautiful. And what we created we were really happy with. It was a lot of fun in this sense for us, it was fulfilling.”
Is there more Spanish sounds coming up in future?
Jennifer Lopez: “I would describe it as: I have an English album coming out in September. And the stuff I have done in English is like pop, dance and r & b. And that describes the way I am. This is Jenny from the block, the girl from the Bronx. But there is also this other side of me: This girl from Puerto Rico who has this cultural background. And this side almost nobody gets to see, the private side with the vulnerable, sentimental and romantic person. This Spanish album was the chance to express this side of me. I’d just say that I make different music in Spanish than I do in English. And I will continue to follow that line. The album coming out later this year will still be J. Lo as everyone knows her.”
Did you discover anything new by working on that album?
Jennifer Lopez: “My standards have changed by making this album. It was also the first time that it took my three years to do an album. Marc told me a lot about letting things sit for a while. And letting them grow and letting art breathe. Not everything has to be done today. If it’s not coming just let it go and come back in two months. When he said this I freaked out like, ‘but I want to finish it and listen to it tomorrow!’ Then he says ‘no, we’re not gonna do that.’ And that’s actually right. That taught me to chill for a minute. I learned a lot in a lot of different levels by that. On my English album I took the same approach. I’ve been working on it for a year and a half now. And by working that way it gives me a new way of looking at music. And having a new standard of what I accept and what I won’t accept musically.”
Are there better ways to describe emotions in Spanish than in English?
Jennifer Lopez: “I really do think so. It’s a kind of more poetic and descriptive language. It’s one of the romantic languages and just by nature it sings in a different way and has more of a dramatic quality. It’s just more emotional. At least it can be. It depends on what type of music you want to make. And it was great to get into that because I’ve never been able to do that before in English. I’ve done some beautiful ballads but this was like taking it all the way.”
‘Bordertown’ has a political background. Is it important to take responsibility in that way as an artist?
Jennifer Lopez: “I think you have to do what you feel. I will not sit here and preach and tell other people what they should or should not be doing. For me it was important, when I found out about it, that I want to do this movie. For me it was something important that needed to be said. That’s what art is for - to explore things. To push them on and do different things. So if you feel something in your heart you should do it.”