ennifer Lopez is dropping a brand new album, titled This Is Me… Now, and is celebrating its release with a special one night only Apple Music event in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Fans have been absolutely thrilled by news; the On The Floor singer’s last album, A.K.A., was released nine long years ago.
“’SOON’ is finally becoming ‘NOW’ and I am NOT mentally or emotionally prepared!” said one fan on X (formerly Twitter), speaking about the upcoming celebratory event. “Is everyone ready? So many emotions running through me right now. Mama is coming,” said another.
This Is Me… Now is set to be the sequel of her 2002 record This Is Me… Then, Lopez’s third studio album, which included her beloved track Jenny from the Block. The album went to number two in the US Billboard 200 charts, and became a twice platinum-selling album in America. Since then, Lopez has released five subsequent albums, all of which made it into the top 12 on the Billboard 200 .
But JLo fans haven’t been totally bereft of new music from the New Yorker since the 2014 release of A.K.A.: Lopez has released 26 singles over the past decade – the latest of these, Marry Me, a collaboration with Colombian singer Maluma, was released in 2022.
Lopez has also been acting and performing: she had a two-year residency in Las Vegas between 2016 and 2018, and embarked on a major world tour, titled It’s My Party, in 2019. The 54-year-old has also starred in films including crime-drama Hustlers (2019) and rom-coms Second Act (2018), Marry Me (2022) and Shotgun Wedding (2022).
But fans are particularly excited about the imminent release of Lopez’s latest studio album (as of yet there is no official release date, but Lopez has been teasing the upcoming record for months, using the hashtag #ThisIsMeNow on her social media posts). Albums tend to be much more personal than singles; they are an opportunity for an artist to tell a story and to take their fans on a real musical journey.
To celebrate the new EP, Lopez will be performing a special event in Los Angeles later this week. In an email sent out to fans who had signed up to her mailing list, JLo said, “I want to invite you to have the opportunity to come see me perform new music from my upcoming musical experience, This Is Me… Now.” The performance will be taking place in Los Angeles on September 21, at the 2,000 people-capacity Orpheum Theatre.
This Is Me… Now is set to be released in 2023