Jennifer Lopez Biography

Latin dancer, actress, and singer, Jennifer Lopez has achieved worldwide success due to her dance performances and sex-symbol charisma.

Early Life

Born on July 24, 1969, in the Bronx, New York Jennifer came from a lineage of Puerto-Ricans. She was taught from an early age about work ethic, as a result, she was taking dancing lessons starting age 5.

“Selena” Breakthrough

As a dancer, she appeared in various music videos and television shows. As an actor, she was part of her first film in 1995’s “Mi Familia” and “Money Train”. Her major breakthrough arrived with the biopic “Selena” starring as the late Tejano pop singer Selena Quintillana Perez. The role gained her widespread popularity and a critically acclaimed performance.

From Movie Star to Pop Star

Lopez’s true passion was music, so with the help of Tommy Mottola, she released her debut album “On the 6” in 1999. “If You Had My Love” became a hit and “Waiting for Tonight” would become a career-defining song. Her success came as a surprise to critics who expected the worst since she was given a recording contract for her existing popularity. “J.Lo”, her second album was released in 2001. The album proved to be a commercial success debuting at number 1, while at the same time, the movie “The Wedding Planner” opened at the top of the box office, making her the first woman to hold both accomplishments simultaneously. The album generated pop hits like “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” and “Play” becoming Lopez’s best album to date. Acting wise, she starred in the female-empowering thriller “Enough”. Jennifer’s album “This Is Me… Then” spawned her most iconic song “Jenny from the Block”. “Maid in Manhattan”, a romantic comedy, became the best-selling movie of her career.

Failure and “Rebirth”

Jennifer’s acting failure was represented by the movie “Gigli” which was considered by many the worst movie of all time. “Rebirth” was released in 2005 and the hit “Get Right” was produced. She also experienced a rebirth in her acting career with the comedy “Monster-in-Law” which was a box office success.

Setback

“Como Ama una Mujer”, Jennifer’s first studio Spanish album, was released in 2007 and found moderate success. The album aimed to prove to the world that Lopez was able to take on “big songs” despite her limited voice range. During this period she took on roles that were expected to break away from her romantic comedy roles but didn’t. She released her lowest-performing album “Brave” in 2007 and took a break from entertainment after the birth of her twins with husband Mark Anthony in 2008. Her next album was released as “Love?” which again failed to make an impact and changed labels.

Comeback and American Idol

The single “On The Floor” represented her return to the charts as it became popular all over the world. She was the judge on the tenth season of American Idol and returned for the eleventh season in 2012 for a paycheck of 20 million dollars. During the TV show, she also worked on and released her next album “A.K.A” in 2014. In 2016, she appeared on the last season of American Idol.

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