Plato

A mononymous person is an individual who is known and addressed by a mononym,^[1] or "single name". In some cases, that name has been selected by the individual, who may have originally been given a polynym ("multiple name"). In other cases, it has been determined by the custom of the country^[2] or by some interested segment of the public.

History[link]

Europe[link]

The structure of persons' names has varied across time and geography. In some communities, individuals have been mononymous; that is, each person has received only a single name. Alulim, first king of Sumer, is one of the earliest names known; Narmer, an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, is another. Later, Biblical names were typically mononymous, as were names in the surrounding cultures of the Fertile Crescent. Ancient Greek names also followed the pattern, with second names only used to avoid confusion, as in the case of Zeno the Stoic and Zeno of Elea.

A notable departure from this custom occurred among the Romans, who by the Republican period and throughout the Imperial period used multiple names: a male citizen's name comprised three parts, praenomen (given name), nomen (clan name) and cognomen (family line within the clan) — the nomen and cognomen being virtually always hereditary.^[3] Post-antiquity most of them are, however, mononymous in most contexts: examples are Cicero (also known as Tully: Marcus Tullius Cicero), Pompey (Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus), Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro), Nero (Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus) or Juvenal (Decimus Iunius Iuvenalis).

In other cultures the following can be named: Euripides, Xenophon, Aristotle and, further afield, Boudica and Jugurtha.

During the early Middle Ages, mononymy slowly declined, with northern and eastern Europe keeping the tradition longer than the south; an example is Edeko, the East Germanic chieftain whose son ruled Italy as Flavius Odoacer. By the end of the period, however, surnames had become commonplace: Edmund Ironside, for example, ruled England, Brian Boru was over-king of Ireland, Kenneth MacAlpin had united Scotland, and even in Scandinavia surnames were taking hold. The Dutch Renaissance scholar and theologian Erasmus is a late example of mononymity; though sometimes referred to as "Desiderius Erasmus" or "Erasmus of Rotterdam", he was christened only as "Erasmus", after the martyr Erasmus of Formiae. By contrast, the Frankish emperor Charlemagne was not mononymous, his name being an Anglo-Norman contraction of Carolus Magnus or Carolus le Magne (Charles the Great).

The Americas[link]

When Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas most people had mononyms, a custom that survived as late as the 19th century (e.g., Geronimo, 1829–1909). Examples are Auoindaon (Canada, flourished 1623), Pocahontas (United States, 1595–1617), Guamá (Cuba, died 1532), Anacaona (Dominican Republic, 1464–1504), Moctezuma (Mexico, 1398–1469), Lempira (Honduras, died 1537), Gurutina (Costa Rica, fl. 1522), Diriangen (Nicaragua, fl. 1520), Urracá (Panama, died 1531), Tamanaco (Venezuela, died 1573), Petecuy (Colombia, fl. 1536), Atahualpa (Peru, 1497–1533), Taparica (Brazil, born c. 1465), Ancafilú (Argentina, died 1823), Lautaro (Chile, 1534–1557).

Post-medieval uses[link]

Since the medieval period, mononyms in the west have almost exclusively been used to identify notable people who already had surnames. These nicknames were either adopted by the persons themselves or conferred by contemporaries.

France[link]

Some French authors have shown a preference for mononyms. In the 17th century, the dramatist and actor Jean Baptiste Poquelin (1622–73) took the mononym stage name "Molière".

In the 18th century, François-Marie Arouet took the mononym "Voltaire", for both literary and personal use, in 1718 after his imprisonment in Paris' Bastille, to mark a break with his past. The new name combined several features. It was an anagram for a Latinized version of his family surname, "Arouet, l[e] j[eune]"; it reversed the syllables of the name of a family château, "Airvault"; and it has implications of speed and daring through similarity with French expressions such as "voltige", "volte-face" and "volatile". "Arouet", on the other hand, would not serve the same purpose, given that name's associations with "roué" and with an expression that meant "for thrashing."^[4]

The 19th-century French author Marie-Henri Beyle used many pen names, most famously the mononym "Stendhal", adapted from the name of the little Prussian town of Stendal, birthplace of the German art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann, whom Stendhal greatly admired.^[5]

In the 20th century, a fourth French writer, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (author of Gigi, 1945), used her actual surname as her mononymous pen name, "Colette".^[6]

Other European countries[link]

The German writer, mining engineer and philosopher, Georg Friedrich Philipp Freiherr von Hardenberg (1772–1801), became famous as Novalis.

The 19th-century Dutch writer Eduard Douwes Dekker (1820–87), better known by his mononymous pen name Multatuli (from the Latin multa tuli, "I have suffered [or borne] many things"), became famous for the satirical novel, Max Havelaar (1860), in which he denounced the abuses of colonialism in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). In 2002 Multatuli was proclaimed by the Society for Dutch Literature to have been the most important Dutch writer of all time.

The 20th-century British author Hector Hugh Munro became known by his pen name, "Saki".

In 20th-century Poland, the theater-of-the-absurd playwright, novelist, painter, photographer and philosopher Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz after 1925 often used the mononymous pseudonym "Witkacy", a conflation of his surname (Witkiewicz) and middle name (Ignacy).^[7]

In the Soviet Union, both Lenin and Stalin are assumed names, for similar reasons. Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov adopted the pen name Lenin while publishing anti-Tsarist propaganda in the 1910s, and was generally known as Lenin (or sometimes V.I. Lenin) after rising to power in the October Revolution. Iosef Besarionis dze Jughashvili assumed the pen name Stalin, from the Russian word for "steel", and was also generally known by this name after the revolution.

A number of visual artists, such as Michelangelo, Titian, Tintoretto, Caravaggio and Rembrandt, are commonly known by mononyms. The modern Russian artist Erté formed his mononymous pseudonym from the initials of his actual name, as did the Belgian comics writers Hergé and Peyo.

Italian painter Bernardo Bellotto, who is now ranked as an important and original painter in his own right, traded on the mononymous pseudonym of his uncle and teacher, Antonio Canal (Canaletto), in those countries—Poland and Germany—where his famous uncle was not active, calling himself likewise "Canaletto." Bellotto remains commonly known as "Canaletto" in those countries to this day.^[8]

Mononymity was represented in photography, from that art's infancy, by Nadar (Gaspard-Félix Tournachon).

North America[link]

The American writer of non-fiction and fiction, Rodney William Whitaker (1931–2005), is best known for some novels that he wrote under the mononym pen name, "Trevanian". The Armenian-Canadian portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh was commonly known as "Karsh of Ottawa".

Royalty[link]

Monarchs and other royalty, for example Napoleon, have traditionally availed themselves of the privilege of using a mononym, modified when necessary by an ordinal or descriptor (e.g., Queen Elizabeth II).^[9] While many European royals have formally sported long chains of names, in practice they have tended to use only one or two and not to use surname.^[10] In Japan, the emperor and his family have no surname, only a given name, such as Hirohito, which in practice is rarely used: out of respect and as a measure of politeness, Japanese prefer to say "the Emperor" or "the Crown Prince."^[11] In India, the first six Mughal emperors were known by just one name, adopted by each emperor upon his accession.

Roman Catholic popes, except for John Paul I and II, have traditionally, on their election, adopted a single name.

Mononyms in modern times[link]

Countries where mononyms are normal[link]

The western style of having both a family name (surname) and a given name (Christian name or forename) is far from universal.

• Surnames were introduced in Turkey only after World War I
• It is very common in India, especially in the south, for people to have only one name.
• Mononyms are also common in Indonesia, especially on Java, both for members of the ruling class such as Sukarno and Suharto and for commoners such as Rossa.

In Asia[link]

Akihito, Emperor of Japan

In modern times, in countries that have long been part of the Chinese cultural sphere (Japan, Korea, Vietnam and China itself), mononyms are rare. A notable exception pertains to the Emperor of Japan. Mononyms are, however, common as stage names in the Japanese entertainment industry, usually when the performer's legal name is not publicly known; e.g., Ayaka, Becky, Gackt, hide, Hyde, Mana, Miyavi, Tsunku, and Yui. Also, Japanese baseball superstar Ichiro Suzuki is widely known in both Japan and North America simply as "Ichiro".

In Hong Kong a few musicians are also known by mononyms, e.g., Janice,^[12] Jin, and Justin Lo (who uses the Chinese mononym, "側田"). In Korea, singers such as BoA, Rain and Shoo are known by their mononyms.

A single name remains common usage in India, with revered statesmen such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru being referred to as "Bapu" and "Panditji" respectively. Mayawati, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh has chosen to use only one name. A professor emeritus at the University of Illinois, renowned for his research into photosynthesis, uses the mononym "Govindjee"; he rejected most of his familial names in rebellion against the caste system in his native land. Several Indian film personalities such as Sridevi, Rekha, Kajol and Rajnikanth are known by their mononyms.

Mononyms are also common in Indonesia. In some cases such as former Presidents Sukarno and Suharto, the mononyms are their full legal name, as often found among Javanese people of common birth. Others like Rossa, Chrisye or Tohpati are stage names taken from a nickname or part of their full names.

Single names still also occur in Tibet^[13] and Mongolia.^{[citation needed]} Most Afghans have no surname.^[14]

In Thailand, people usually address each other in informal situations by nicknames (chue-len or Thai: ชึ่อเล่น "play-name"). Given by parents or relatives in early childhood, these nicknames are typically one syllable (or worn down from two syllables to one). They may often be nonsense words or humorous, and usually have no relation to the person's actual name, although in some cases may be diminutive forms of their first name, like "Nok" for "Noknoi" which means respectively bird and little bird, the first used as nickname and the second being the first name. All Thais have such a name, even the royal family, and they are freely used in everyday life.^{[citation needed]}

Surnames were introduced in Turkey after World War I, as part of his westernizing and modernizing program, by that country's first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.^[15] His own surname, Atatürk, which was bestowed by the Turkish parliament, means "Father Turk."

In the West[link]

Sting

  In the West, mononymity, as well as its use by royals in conjunction with titles, has been primarily a privilege of famous persons such as prominent writers, artists, entertainers, musicians and sportsmen.^[16][17]

Some persons, such as the artist Christo, the sculptor Chryssa, and the singer-songwriter Basia, have had polynymous names that were unwieldy, or unfamiliar and difficult to remember or to pronounce in the community in which they were currently active, but have not wanted to entirely change their names to something more familiar to the broad public at the cost of abandoning their sense of self-identification, and so have used only a single part of their full names.

The case of the Icelandic musician Björk is similar, but her use of a single name also has roots in her native culture. Like most Icelanders, she has no family name; the second part of her full name is a patronymic. Icelanders generally address one another solely by given names even in formal settings.

Some mononym stage names are merely the performer's actual given name (e.g. Shakira, Kesha, Cher, Madonna, Beyoncé), while others may be the performer's actual surname (e.g. Liberace, Mantovani, Morrissey). Some mononym stage names are invented (e.g. Cantinflas, Bono), adopted words (e.g. Capucine, French for "nasturtium") or nicknames (e.g. Sting, Moby).

In Lusophone countries such as Portugal, Angola and especially Brazil, football players often adopt a mononym (e.g. Pelé, Nani, Ronaldo, Eusébio, Marta). In Spain, mononyms for football players are also very common; they include nicknames (Michel, Arteaga, Arzú), derivations of the player's surname (Coro, Guti), diminutives (Juanito, Pichi), or the player's first names (Xavi, Sergi, Raúl). Because there are a few very common surnames in Spain (García, Pérez, López, Hernández), the use of mononyms makes it easier to distinguish between the many Garcías and Pérez on each team. Mononyms are occasionally used by players from other countries, for example the Venezuelan Miku and the Ivorian Gervinho. Mononyms can be seen in other sports in the aforementioned countries, with notable examples including Brazilian basketball players Hortência and Nenê.

Similarly the former president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is known simply as "Lula", a nickname he officially added to his full name. Such mononyms, which take their origin in given names, surnames or nicknames, are used because Portuguese names tend to be rather long.

In Latin America, it is common for cartoonists to take mononyms—for example, the Argentinians Quino, Tute and Liniers, the Brazilians Angeli, Henfil, Ziraldo and Jaguar, the Chilean Pepo, and the Mexicans Adis, Trino, Magu, Kabeza, Rius, Rictus and Tormentas.

The comedian and illusionist Teller, the silent half of the duo Penn & Teller, has legally changed his original polynym, "Raymond Joseph Teller", to the mononym "Teller" and possesses a United States passport issued in that single name.^[18]

Some individuals have selected their mononym themselves, when they have been able to do so, because of its distinctiveness. Others have come to be known by a mononym that has been applied to them by some segment of the public. Both mechanisms contributed in the case of Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has been called, and has publicly called herself, simply "Hillary". Peter Funt, of Candid Camera, wrote in a February 21, 2007 New York Times op-ed piece, "The Mononym Platform": "Someone has apparently decided that Mrs. Clinton will be the first major single-name candidate since 1952, when Ike's P.R. gurus realized that 'Eisenhower' was tough to fit on a bumper sticker... In an apparent attempt to model her marketing on the likes of Madonna, Beyoncé and Cher, Mrs. Clinton's site proclaimed: 'Today, Hillary took the first step...'..."^[19] In an interview with Hillary Clinton published in Salon.com, the interviewer acknowledged receiving reader accusations of sexism whenever he referred to Clinton in print as "Hillary" (in contrast with male candidates who were almost always referred to by their last names), although he stated it was primarily to avoid confusion with her husband Bill Clinton.^[20]

Oprah Winfrey, famed American talk show host, is usually referred to by only her first name, Oprah. In Canada, Senator Nancy Ruth had previously dropped her family name of Jackman, using both of her remaining names together as a mononym instead of using "Ruth" as a family name.^[21] She is alphabetized under "N," not "R", on the Senate website.^[22]

Some famous computer programmers are recognized by just the use of their first name. Examples are Linus^[23] and Ken.^[24]

Some fictional characters are best known by a mononym (e.g. Borat, Flacco).

Gallery[link]

Tintoretto   Akbar   Molière   Voltaire   Novalis   Stendhal   Multatuli   Nadar   Saki   Colette   Witkacy   Sukarno   Cantinflas   Suharto   Capucine   Topol   Pelé   Lula   Cher   Teller   Prince   Madonna   Morrissey   Enya   Björk   Selena Selena   Tarkan   Beyoncé   Adele   Rihanna   Shakira

See also[link]

• List of legally mononymous people
• List of one-word stage names
• List of pseudonyms
• One-name study, a project researching a specific surname

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Encyclopedia Americana, Danville, CT, Grolier, 1986 ed., ISBN 0-7172-0117-1.
• Encyklopedia Polski (Encyclopedia of Poland), Kraków, Wydawnictwo Ryszard Kluszczyński, 1996, ISBN 83-86328-60-6.
• Richard Holmes, "Voltaire's Grin", New York Review of Books, November 30, 1995, pp. 49–55.
• Richard Holmes, Sidetracks: Explorations of a Romantic Biographer, New York, HarperCollins, 2000.
• William Smith (lexicographer), Dictionary of the Bible: Comprising Its Antiquities..., 1860–65.
• Peter Wetzler, Hirohito and War: Imperial Tradition and Military Decision-Making in Prewar Japan, University of Hawaii Press, 1998, ISBN 0-8248-1166-6.

External links[link]

• Peter Funt, "The Mononym Platform", The New York Times, February 21, 2007.
• Penn & Teller FAQ (Internet Archive).

A person is a being, such as a human, that has certain capacities or attributes constituting personhood, the precise definition of which is the subject of much controversy.^{[vague language]} The common plural of "person", "people", is often used to refer to an entire nation or ethnic group (as in "a people"), so the plural "persons" is often used in contexts which require precision such as philosophical and legal writing.

Etymology[link]

In ancient Rome, the word "persona" (Latin) or "prosopon" (πρόσωπον: Greek) originally referred to the masks worn by actors on stage. The various masks represented the various "personae" in the stage play, while the masks themselves helped the actor's voice resonate and made it easier for the audience to hear.^[1]

In Roman law, the word "persona" became used to refer to a role played in court, and it became established that it was the role rather than the actor that could have rights, powers, and duties, because different individuals could assume the same roles, the rights, powers, and duties followed the role rather than the actor, and each individual could act in more than one role, each a different "person" in law.^{[tortured english][citation needed]}

The concept of a "person" was further developed during the Trinitarian and Christological debates of the first through sixth centuries. Since then, a number of important changes to the word's meaning and use have taken place, and attempts have been made to redefine the word with varying degrees of adoption and influence.

Many modern speakers of colloquial English conflate the meanings of role and actor, which can result in some confusion when they try to enter into legal discourse.^{[citation needed]}

Personhood[link]

An abstract painting of a person by Paul Klee. The concept of a person can be very challenging to define.

Personhood is the status of being a person. Defining personhood is a controversial topic in philosophy and law, and is closely tied to legal and political concepts of citizenship, equality, and liberty. According to law, only a natural person or legal personality has rights, protections, privileges, responsibilities, and legal liability. Personhood continues to be a topic of international debate. Historically, personhood was questioned during the abolition of slavery, the fight for women's rights and animal rights, debates about abortion, fetal rights and reproductive rights as well as debates about corporate personhood.^[2]

Various specific debates have focused and continue to focus on questions about the personhood of different classes of entities. Historically, the personhood of animals, women, and slaves has been a catalyst of social upheaval. Today, most living adult humans are usually considered persons, but depending on the context, theory or definition, the category of "person" may be taken to include such non-human entities as animals, corporations, sovereign states or other polities, estates in probate, artificial intelligences, or extraterrestrial life; and may exclude some human entities in prenatal development or those with extreme mental impairments or injuries. A deceased person may be considered a person or property, depending on jurisdiction.

Personal identity[link]

What does it take for individuals to persist from moment to moment — or in other words, for the same individual to exist at different moments?

Personal identity is the unique numerical identity of persons through time. That is to say, the necessary and sufficient conditions under which a person at one time and a person at another time can be said to be the same person, persisting through time. In the modern philosophy of mind, this concept of personal identity is sometimes referred to as the diachronic problem of personal identity. The synchronic problem is grounded in the question of what features or traits characterize a given person at one time.

Identity is an issue for both continental philosophy and analytic philosophy. A key question in continental philosophy is in what sense we can maintain the modern conception of identity, while realizing many of our prior assumptions about the world are incorrect.

Proposed solutions to the problem of personal identity include continuity of the physical body, continuity of an immaterial mind or soul, continuity of consciousness or memory, the bundle theory of self, and proposals that there are actually no persons or selves which persist over time at all.

See also[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Lukes, Steven; Carrithers, Michael; Collins, Steven, eds. (1987). The category of the person: Anthropology, philosophy, history. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-27757-4. 
• Cornelia J.de Vogel The concept of personality in Greek and Christian thought. In Studies in philosophy and the history of philosophy. Vol. 2. Edited by J. K. Ryan, Washington: Catholic University of America Press 1963. pp. 20–60
• Puccetti, Roland (1968). Persons: A Study of Possible Moral Agents in the Universe. London: Macmillan and Company. 
•  "Person". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913. 
• Korfmacher, Carsten (May 29, 2006). "Personal Identity". The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. http://www.iep.utm.edu/p/person-i.htm. Retrieved 2011-03-09. 

External links[link]

Look up person in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Rights of Non-Human Persons Program (Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies)

Jennifer Lopez
Lopez arriving at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards in August 2004
Born	Jennifer Lynn Lopez (1969-07-24) July 24, 1969 (age 42) The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, businesswoman, dancer, recording artist
Years active	1986–present
Spouse	Ojani Noa (1997–98) Cris Judd (2001–03) Marc Anthony (2004–present, divorce filed)
Partner	David Cruz (1984–94)
Children	2
Relatives	Lynda Lopez (sister)
Signature
Website
www.jenniferlopez.com www.jenniferlopezonline.com

Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969) is an American actress, businesswoman, dancer and recording artist. Often referred to as J.Lo, she is reportedly the highest earning actress of Latin descent.^[1][2] Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, she enrolled in singing and dancing classes as a child and grew up in a musically influenced household. She started her career as a fly girl on the television comedy program In Living Color and a back-up dancer for Janet Jackson. Lopez gained recognition in the action-thriller Money Train (1995). Her first leading role was in the biographical film Selena (1997), which was her breakthrough role, earning her an ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress and Golden Globe nomination. She earned her second ALMA Award for her performance in Out of Sight (1998), which made her the highest-paid Latin actress. She has since appeared in various films including The Cell (2000), The Wedding Planner (2001), Maid in Manhattan (2002), Shall We Dance? (2004), Monster-in-Law (2005), The Back-up Plan (2010) and What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012).

In 1998, Lopez began recording her debut album and released On the 6 (1999), which spawned the hit singles "If You Had My Love" and "Waiting for Tonight". Her second album J.Lo (2001) reached number one on the Billboard 200 the same week her film The Wedding Planner led the box office, becoming the first person to achieve a number one film and album in the same week. It spawned the number-one single "I'm Real" which spent five weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and "Love Don't Cost a Thing". She released J to tha L–O! The Remixes (2002), which became the first number-one remix album in the United States. Her third and fourth studio albums, This Is Me... Then (2002) and Rebirth (2005) reached number two. In 2007 she released her first full Spanish album Como ama una Mujer. Returning to music in 2011, she released her seventh album Love?, which spawned her most successful single "On the Floor", one of the best-selling singles of all time.

By 2010, Lopez had amassed estimated sales of over 55 million records worldwide,^[3] Billboard ranked her as the 27th Artist of the 2000s decade.^[4] In 2010, Lopez became a member of the judging panel for the American reality television competition American Idol.^[5] She was selected for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012.^[6] She led People en Español's list of "100 Most Influential Hispanics" in February 2007.^[7] That year, Lopez made the Forbes magazine's list of "The 20 Richest Women In Entertainment," ranking ninth.^[8] In 2012, Forbes placed her number one on their list of "100 Most Powerful and Influential Celebrities in the World".^[9] She has appeared multiple times on The Hollywood Reporter's Annual Actress Salary List, and is the highest-paid Latin actress in Hollywood.^[10]

Lopez also has a fashion line and various perfumes with her celebrity endorsement.^[11] She has worked with L'Oreal since 1999.^[12] A fashion icon, several of her dresses have received considerable media attention, most notably the Jungle green Versace dress which she wore at the 43rd Grammy Awards in 2000—voted the fifth most iconic red carpet dress of all time.^[13][14] Lopez advocates for human rights and vaccinations, and is a supporter of Children's Hospital Los Angeles. In 2011 she was named the most "Beautiful Person" by People magazine in its annual issue.^[15] As of 2012, her net worth is estimated to be $250 million—she has been named one of the wealthiest and most influential Hispanics in the United States.^[16] Lopez's personal life has also garnered media attention, particularly her high profiled relationships.

Life and career[link]

1969–94: Childhood and early work[link]

Castle Hill, The Bronx: the neighborhood in which Lopez was born and raised.

Jennifer Lynn Lopez was born on July 24, 1969^[17] in the Castle Hill neighborhood of The Bronx, New York. The middle child of Puerto Rican parents Guadalupe Rodriguez and David Lopez,^[18] she has an elder sister, Leslie, and a younger sister, Lynda (born June 14, 1971). David worked the night shift at the Guardian Insurance Company, before becoming a computer technician at the firm, while Guadalupe was a homemaker. When Jennifer was born, the Lopez family was living in a small apartment. A few years later, her parents had saved up enough money to be able to purchase a two-story house, which was considered a big deal for the relatively poor family.

By the age of five, Lopez began taking singing and dancing lessons. She toured New York with her school when she was seven years old.^[19] Her parents stressed the importance of work ethic and being able to speak English. They encouraged their three daughters to put on performances at home, singing and dancing in front of each other and their friends so that they would stay "out of trouble".^[19] Raised as a Roman Catholic;^[20][21][22] Lopez spent her entire academic career in Catholic schools, finishing at the all-girls Preston High School.^[23] In school, Lopez did gymnastics, ran track on a national level and was a member of the school's softball team.^[24] She excelled athletically rather than academically, competing in national track championships.^[19] In 1984, at age fifteen she began dating David Cruz, her first boyfriend.

While attending her final year of high school, Lopez learned about a film casting that was seeking several teenage girls for small roles. She auditioned and was cast in My Little Girl (1986), an low-budget film co-written and directed by Connie Kaiserman.^[25] Lopez acted as Myra, a young woman at a center for troubled girls. After she finished filming her role in the film, Lopez knew that she wanted to become a famous movie star. To please her parents, though, she enrolled in Baruch College, only to drop out after one semester. She told her parents her dream of becoming a movie star, but they ensisted that it was a "really stupid" idea and that "no Latinos did that". The differences in opinions led Lopez to move out of their family home and into an apartment in Manhattan. During this period, Lopez performed in regional productions of the musicals: Jesus Christ, Superstar! and Oklahoma. From there, she was hired for the chorus in a Golden Musicals of Broadway, which toured Europe for a period of five months. She was unhappy with the role, as she was the only member of the chorus not to have a solo. She later got a job on the show Synchronicity in Japan, where she acted as a dancer, singer and a choreographer.^[26]

Lopez gained her first regular high-profile job as a Fly Girl dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color in 1991. She applied for the job after one of the cast members was unavailable to continue with the show. Out of two thousand applicants, Lopez made it to the finals. She became the runner-up, but eventually received the role when the winner was unable to accept the job. She moved with Cruz to Los Angeles to film the series and remained a regular cast member until 1993 when she decided to pursue an acting career. After her departure from the show, Lopez became a backup dancer for Janet Jackson; also making an appearance in her 1993 video "That's the Way Love Goes".^[27][28][29] Lopez received her first professional acting gig in the direct-to-video drama film Lost in the Wild (1993), co-starring alongside Lindsay Wagner and Robert Loggia.^[30] In 1993 and 1994 Lopez starred as Melinda Lopez in the CBS television series Second Chances and its spin-off Hotel Malibu. Both shows ran for only a brief period, receiving negative reviews.^{[31][32][33][34]}

[edit] 1995–98: Selena and first marriage

Lopez's received her first high-budget film role in Gregory Nava's 1995 drama My Family, playing the character of Young Maria in the 1920s.^[35] After starring alongside Jimmy Smits and Edward James Olmos in My Family, which earned her a Independent Spirit Award nomination, Lopez starred in the action film Money Train, opposite Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson.^[36][37][38] In 1996, she reportedly beat out Ashley Judd and Lauren Holly for the supporting role in Francis Ford Coppola's 1996 comedy Jack starring Robin Williams.^[39] She then starred opposite Jack Nicholson in Bob Rafelson's well-received noir thriller Blood and Wine (1996).^[23]

Lopez's first big break came in 1996, when she was chosen to play the title role in Selena, a biopic of the Tejano pop singer Selena.^[23] Despite having previously worked with the film's director on My Family, Lopez was subjected to an intense auditioning process before she was cast in the film.^[41] Lopez played Selena in her twenties, while Rebecca Lee Maza played Selena in her younger years.^[42] During pre-production, Mexican-American activists were highly critical that Jennifer Lopez, a New York City native born to Puerto Rican parents, was selected to play Selena. They preferred an actress with Mexican roots. However, after seeing Lopez's portrayal of Selena, they revised their opinions and were more accepting of Nava's decision.^[43] Lopez earned widespread outstanding reviews and praise from critics for her portrayal of Selena. Kenneth Turan from Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan while giving the film a mixed review, he wrote that Selena was not just a celebration of Selena's life, but the actress who played her.^[44] Joe Baltake said that Lopez was "is sensational in the title role" and complimented her for pulling off lip-syncing to Selena's original tracks as her own, as she was not a trained singer at the time.^[45] She garnered multiple awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award nomination for "Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy".^{[citation needed]}

On February 22, 1997, Lopez married Cuban-born Ojani Noa, who she met while he worked as a waiter in a Miami restaurant; they were divorced by January 1998.^[46] Later that year, Lopez appeared in two major films. She starred in the horror film Anaconda alongside Ice Cube and Jon Voight, playing the role of Terri Flores, a director who is shooting a documentary while traveling through the Amazon River.^[47] Despite being a modest box office hit, the film was critically panned.^[48] Lopez then starred as the leading actress in the neo-noir film U Turn, which is based on the book Stray Dogs, starring alongside Sean Penn and Billy Bob Thornton.^[23] In 1998, she had one of her most acclaimed roles, starring opposite George Clooney in Out of Sight, Steven Soderbergh's adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel.^[23][49] Cast as a deputy federal marshal who falls for a charming criminal, Lopez won rave reviews for her performance and in the process she became the first Latina actress to earn over $1 million for a role.^[50][51] That same year, she provided the voice for Azteca on the computer-animated film Antz.^[52][53] Around this time, Lopez started dating rap mogul Sean Combs. Combs allegedly showered Lopez with diamonds and jewelry, the inspiration for her 2000 hit, "Love Don't Cost a Thing".^[54]

[edit] 1999–2001: On the 6, J.Lo, The Wedding Planner and second marriage

	"If You Had My Love" noicon a 22-second sample of Lopez's debut single—"If You Had My Love"—which shot to number one in the United States, commencing Lopez's musical career
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

By May 1999, publicity for Lopez's debut album had begun and the news spread fast.^[55] Lopez's debut album On the 6, a reference to the 6 subway line she used to take growing up in Castle Hill,^[23] was released on June 1, 1999, and reached the top ten of the Billboard 200. Her debut single, "If You Had My Love" was released on May 21, 1999, and reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of June 12, 1999.^[56][57] The song stayed on the chart for a total of 25 weeks.^[57] It was proceeded by the release of "Waiting for Tonight", which peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was a dance club hit.^[58] Prior to the release of "Waiting For Tonight" as a single, a Spanish language Latin-flavored ballad with Marc Anthony "No Me Ames" was released and failed to chart on major charts.^[55][56] On the 6 featured guest artists such as Big Pun and Fat Joe on the track "Feelin' So Good", which had moderate success on the Billboard Hot 100, however failed to reach the top 50. "Let's Get Loud", the final single, earned Lopez a Grammy Award nomination in the "Best Dance Recording" category of the 2001 Grammy Awards.^[59] "Waiting for Tonight" was nominated for the same category the previous year.^[60] "No Me Ames" received two nominations at the 2000 Latin Grammy Awards – "Best Pop Duo/Group with Vocal Performance" and "Best Music Video". In addition, Lopez was nominated for more awards then any other at the 1999 The Billboard Music Video Awards, scoring seven nominations in total, leading the likes of Christina Aguilera.^[61]

On February 23, 2000, Lopez showed up to the 42nd Grammy Awards with Combs wearing a plunging exotic green Versace silk chiffon dress, which became known as the "Green Versace Jungle Dress" by Lopez. The dress, known for its low cut neck that extended before her navel and its open back, caused much controversy and garnered media attention. Images of Lopez in the green dress were downloaded from the Grammy website 642,917 times in just 24 hours after the event.^[62] Lopez was surprised by the enormous media coverage, declaring in an interview: "It was a nice dress. I had no idea it was going to become such a big deal."^[63] Versace later revealed that the dress was the turning point of her career, saying that the media now had confidence in her own work, after the death of Gianni Versace.^[63] With the release and promotion of On The 6 over, Lopez had successfully converted herself from film star to pop star within 12 months.^[64] Around this time, Lopez's fans started to dub her as "J.Lo". Lopez then starred opposite Vincent D'Onofrio, in the psychological thriller film The Cell, released on August 18, 2000.^[65] She portrayed Catherine Deane, a child psychologist who uses virtual reality to enter into the minds of her patients to coax them out of their comas. The film was released in August 2000 and became a box-office success, opening at number one.^[49][66]

By August 2000, Lopez had begun work on her sophomore album.^[67][68] J.Lo was released on January 23, 2001, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, exceeding sales of 270,000 copies in its first week.^[69][70] In addition, the album dethroned The Beatles from the top spot.^[70] At the same time, her romantic comedy film, The Wedding Planner, which she starred in alongside Matthew McConaughey led box office receipts,^[71][72] making Lopez the first female to have a film and an album at number one in the same week.^[23][69][71] J.Lo was more urban oriented than On the 6. The lead single, "Love Don't Cost a Thing", was her first number-one single in the United Kingdom and took her into the top five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.^[73] She followed it up with "Play" which gave her another top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number three in the UK.^[74] The album's third single "I'm Real" reached number one on the Hot 100, as well as spending over a year on the chart, with a total of 62 weeks.^[74] "I'm Real" was controversial for using a sample of the song "Firecraker"; which singer Mariah Carey had wanted to sample first. It was later shockingly announced that Carey's ex husband, Tommy Mottola had instructed record executive Irv Gotti to give Lopez the sample before Carey, and Lopez was unaware of this.^[75] "Ain't It Funny" was released; however it did not receive proper commercial promotion in the United States therefore ineligible for charting on the Hot 100. To capitalize on this, Lopez asked The Inc. Records (then known as Murder Inc.) to remix both songs ("I'm Real" and "Ain't It Funny), which featured rap artists Ja Rule (on both) and Cadillac Tah (on the "Ain't It Funny" remix). "Ain't It Funny (murder remix)" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for several weeks, and led Radio Airplay and Pop Songs charts.^[74] On July 24, 2001, She re-released J. Lo on her 32nd birthday with the remix of "I'm Real" as a bonus track. Also, "Si Ya Se Acabó" was released in Spain, due to the success "Que Ironia." In 2001, Lopez performed on tour on the Let's Get Loud "Live in Puerto Rico" Concert. J.Lo has sold 4 million copies in the United States alone. On September 27, 2004, a box set was released by Epic Records featuring On The 6 and J.Lo combined.^[76]

Lopez next role was in a supernatural romance film, Angel Eyes which disappointed at the box office and garnered mixed reviews.^[77] Lopez's boyfriend, former back-up dancer Cris Judd—who she met on the set of the video for "Love Don't Cost a Thing"—proposed to her at a barbecue^[78] and they were married on September 29, 2001.^[79] They traveled to Italy for their honeymoon, and later stayed at the home of designer and a longtime friend of Lopez's, Donatella Versace.^[78]

[edit] 2002–03: J to tha L-O! The Remixes, This Is Me... Then and Bennifer

Following the success of the re-release of J.Lo, Lopez decided to devote an entire album to the remix effort, releasing J to tha L–O! The Remixes, on February 5, 2002. This album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the first remix album in history to debut at the top on the chart, selling over 150,000 copies in its opening week.^[80][81] Featured artists on J to tha L–O! The Remixes include P. Diddy, Fat Joe, and Nas, and the album included rare dance and hip hop remixes of past singles. It is the third all-time biggest-selling remix album in history, after Michael Jackson's Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix, The Beatles' Love and Madonna's You Can Dance, having sold a total of 1.5 million copies as of October 2010.^[82] In addition, it dethroned Alan Jackson's Drive from 3 consecutive weeks at the number-one spot on the chart.^[83][84] J to tha L-O: The Remixes sold 624,000 copies within its first month, and stayed in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 for a month, too.^[85] It remained the only album to debut at number one in the United States for nearly 10 years, until Justin Bieber's remix effort in 2011 debuted at the top spot with similar opening sales.^[86] "I'm Gonna Be Alright" which was previously on her J.Lo album was released as a single; impacting the charts by July 2002 and reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.^[74][87] "I'm Gonna Be Alright" spent 23 weeks on the chart.^[74] The track "Alive" written by Jennifer and Cris Judd was released as a single from the remix album.^[88]

In May 2002, she starred in the thriller film Enough as Slim, a woman abused by her husband and on the run from him. The film garnered negative reviews;^[89] however the fight scene at the finale of the movie was praised.^[90] In addition, the film was considered a "kick-butt, female empowerment" movie.^[91]

In June 2002, Lopez filed for divorce from her husband Cris Judd when she began publicly dating actor Ben Affleck.^[92] Judd's father, Larry Judd blamed Affleck for the break up of his son's marriage. He told New York Daily News that Judd was the "best thing that happened to [Lopez]" and thought that "Mr. Affleck would honor a married women. [They'd] be happier if they just told the truth."^[93] Lopez and Affleck announced their relationship at her thirty-second birthday.^[94] They were engaged months later.^[95][96] The media dubbed them "Bennifer" during their relationship, and became a prominent supercouple in the media.

Lopez released her third studio album, This Is Me... Then, on November 26, 2002. Unlike previous albums, it was more R&B oriented and much of its lyrical structure were about her relationship with her fiancé, Affleck.^[97] The songs from the album, in particular the fifth track, "Dear Ben" detailed her romantic relationship with Affleck.^[97] The album sold over 310,000 copies in its first week, Lopez's highest first-week sales to date, and reached two on the charts in the United States, and was on the charts for a total of forty weeks.^[98] Prior to its release, the album's lead single "Jenny from the Block" was released. It reached 3 on the Hot 100, and was known for its controversial music video featuring Affleck. The song is about Lopez remaining modest and intoning her childhood roots vowing she wishes to remain simple despite her diamonds.^[97] "All I Have", a duet with LL Cool J served as the third single from This Is Me... Then. It became Lopez's fifth song to top the Hot 100 charts.^[74] "I'm Glad" and "Baby I Love U!" were released as the final singles from This Is Me... Then, both commercial disappointing, failing to match the success of her previous singles; however the music video for "I'm Glad" received four nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards the following year. The video recreated scenes from the 1983 film Flashdance, leading to a lawsuit over copyright infringement, which was later dismissed.^[99][100] This Is Me... Then has sold over 2.5 million copies to date in the United States, her last album to reach over a million copies in sales in that country.^[82]

After the release of This Is Me... Then, Lopez took time away from music to focus on films. After two consecutive critical and commercial failures in the films Enough and Angel Eyes, Lopez bounced back with the box office hit Maid in Manhattan, released on December 13, 2002. Her character, Marisa Ventura, is a struggling single mother who lives in the Bronx and makes her living cleaning rooms in a super-luxurious Manhattan hotel, and gets mistaken for a socialite by a princely politician, who she falls in love with.^[101] Maid in Manhattan was a box-office hit, opening at number one. The New York Times compared the film's storyline to her 2002 song, "Jenny from the Block", commenting, "In her new single, 'Jenny From the Block', Jennifer Lopez declares that despite her enormous wealth and global fame, she has not lost touch with her roots."^[102]

Lopez and Ben Affleck eventually succumbed to overexposure from the media, however, which caused public interest in their romance to result in less admiration and negatively affected their careers.^[103][104] Gigli, a film which Lopez starred as a lesbian opposite Affleck, was released on August 1, 2003. The film was considered a box office failure, and is often considered one of the worst films ever made.^[105][106] Once again she starred in another movie with Affleck, Jersey Girl, but only grossed $36 million at the box office and received poor reviews.

Lopez and Affleck canceled their wedding, which had been scheduled for September 14, 2003 on the Californian Coast, citing the media's interference with the event as the reason.^{[107][108][109]} Months later their wedding was canceled once again, four days before the event. Lopez was seen without her ring,^[110] and it was later confirmed that the 18-month romance ended on January 20, 2004, just three days after Affleck returned to Los Angeles from the Sundance Film Festival.^[111]

[edit] 2004–05: Shall We Dance?, third marriage and Rebirth

In August 2003, (after the international flub of "Gigli") it was announced that Lopez was star in Shall We Dance?.^[112] The move was released in 2004, in which Lopez starred as Paulina alongside Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon; it reached the third spot at the Box Office. Shall We Dance?, grossed $112,238,000, at the international box office. Domestically, Shall We Dance? grossed $57,890,460 and a total of $170,128,460 worldwide.^[113] By this time, Lopez was well established as one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood and the highest-paid Latin actress in Hollywood history, though she's never had a film grossing over $100 million in the USA. She was on The Hollywood Reporter's list of the top ten actress salaries in 2002, 2003, and 2004.^[10]

Lopez and Marc Anthony at the Time 100 gala event on May 8, 2006

Two months after her break up with Affleck, Lopez was publicly seen dating Marc Anthony, they were married secretly on June 5, 2004 at her Beverly Hills Mansion and maintained a quiet relationship away from the media unlike her previous.^[114][115] Two men attempted to ransom a private wedding video which was stolen from the couple for $1 million dollars, and they were arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on charges of conspiracy, attempted grand larceny and possession of stolen property.^[116]

Lopez released her fourth studio album, Rebirth, on March 1, 2005.^[117] The lead single was "Get Right",^[117] reaching 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was a dance club hit.^[118] The song reached number one in the United Kingdom. The video for "Get Right" has Lopez portraying many different characters in a nightclub and sporting several different looks and occupations.^[119] Following the release of "Get Right", the album debuted (and peaked) at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 261,000 copies in its opening week.^[120] It quickly fell off the charts, and produced one more single, "Hold You Down", which featured Fat Joe, reached number 64 on the Hot 100 while it peaked at number six in the UK and ascended to the top 20 in Australia.^[74] The song "Cherry Pie" was intended to be released as a single, however due to low sales (despite a high start) of Rebirth these plants were scrapped. Rebirth was certified Platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA; selling over 700,000 copies so far in the United States,^[82] and has enjoyed international success. In May 2005, the film Monster-in-Law was released. It was Jane Fonda's first movie in several years.^[121] It featured Lopez as Charlie, an artist who is pitted against her fiance's conniving mother when she does not accept her as her son's girlfriend (or soon-to-be wife).^{[121][122][123]} However, the $43-million film became a box-office smash debuting at number one, earning $83 million ($154.7 worldwide)^[124] during its theatrical run in summer 2005. Lopez received $15 million for her role in Monster-in-Law, remaining one of her highest paychecks for a movie yet.^[125] Later, she starred in a film entitled An Unfinished Life, which did not do well; only reaching 11 at the Box office.

[edit] 2006–08: Como Ama una Mujer, Brave and motherhood

In 2006, Lopez was featured in LL Cool J's single "Control Myself", which was released on February 1, 2006. It reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart, Lopez's first collaborative Top 10 Hit in the U.S. since 2003. Also that year, she was in the movie Bodertown; The movie is based on a series of unsolved murders in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, a maquiladora border city across the Río Bravo del Norte (Rio Grande) from El Paso, Texas. Estimates of the murders conflict, yet, conservatively speaking over four hundred women, maybe many more, have been kidnapped, tortured and murdered since 1993 in and around Ciudad Juárez.^[126] Lopez garnered a few awards and recognition for this part. The film was not a large success, though. Jennifer was one of the recipients of the Women in Film Crystal Award, after her appearance in Bordertown.^[127]

It was reported that Lopez was to release a full Spanish language album.^[128] Contactmusic.com said that Lopez would "prove critics wrong" and prove that she actually has a voice, through this new project.^[128] Upon the eve of the album's release, Lopez explained that she had previously aimed to sing in Spanish, however her career took a different path.^[129] Her first full Spanish album, Como Ama una Mujer was released on March 23, 2007. It debuted at 10 on the Billboard 200, making her one of few to reach the top ten with a Spanish album.^[130] The album was a natural and large success within the Latin community, reaching number one on Billboard Top Latin Albums, where it remained for seven weeks.^[130] Worldwide, it was a moderate success, reaching the top ten in several countries such as Italy and Germany.

Lopez with husband Marc Anthony (right) and Greek singer Kostas Martakis (left), who opened her September 2008 concert in Athens.

Como Ama una Mujer marks the highest debut sales in the United States for a Spanish album and the highest digital sales for a Spanish album.^[131] The York Press, on the album, stated that "Lopez stunned many with her Spanish-language Como Ama una Mujer, which at last proved that she is a major musical force."^[132] For promotion of Como Ama Una Mujer, Lopez traveled back to the Bronx, to meet fans and sign copies of her album in her old neighborhood.^[133] Over 500 people attended.^[133] In an interview, Lopez stated "It touches my heart to be able to bring this album back to my neighborhood, back to my home."^[134] Como ama una Mujer produced a single, "Qué Hiciste" (Spanish for "What Did You Do") which peaked at 86 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Latin Songs and the Hot Dance Club Play.^[74] She performed the song on American Idol, in the same week she was a mentor; she is the first person to perform a Latin song on the hit show.^[131] On July 24, 2007 (Lopez's birthday) Billboard magazine reported that Lopez and husband Marc Anthony would "co-headline" a worldwide tour called "Juntos en Concierto" starting in New Jersey on September 29.^[135] The tour launched September 28, 2007 at the Mark G. Etess Arena and ended on November 7, 2007 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. On the finale date of their tour, Lopez and Anthony announced that they were expecting a child, her first and his fourth.^[136][137] Later that same month, it was reported that Lopez was having difficulties with her pregnancy. These reports were deemed false by per rep, stating that "she is very healthy and continuing with her schedule as planned."^[138] In August 2007, Lopez collaborated on the feature film, El Cantante, with Anthony. Lopez, who also co-produced the film, "does enough acting for the two of them in her role as Puchi, Héctor's wife" while creating a very interesting and edgy performance.^[139] The film is in English, with creative use of subtitles for songs with Spanish lyrics.

In August 2007 Lopez began work on a new English studio album, titled Brave^[140][141] For Brave, she collaborated with producers Midi Mafia, J. R. Rotem, Lynn and Wade and Ryan Tedder, with Rotem working on some tracks with writing partner Evan "Kidd" Bogart.^[142] Released on October 9, 2007, it debuted at 12 on the Billboard 200; commercially, it is her least successful album to date.^[143] It spawned two singles "Do It Well" and "Hold It, Don't Drop It", which both reached number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, but failed to make further impact.^[74] It was her first album to fail to produce a top twenty song. Brave earned mostly mixed to negative reviews, Rashod D. Ollison from The Sun said that "Brave – was not to daring".^[144] However, there were a few positive reviews. The York Press compared Brave to Britney Spears' album due for release around the same time.^[132] Praising Lopez for not needing digital enhancement of her voice in "Brave" compared to Spears, they turned their favor to Brave instead of Blackout despite praising Spears' for delivering a "decent album".^[132] Brave has sold over 160,000 copies (which sales are comparable to that of Lopez' previous first week sales of her first four albums).^[82]

On February 5, 2008, Lopez confirmed that she was having twins.^[145] On February 22, Lopez gave birth to a son Maximilian David Muñiz and a daughter Emme Maribel in Long Island, New York.^[146][147] The twins were introduced in the March 11, 2008 issue of People magazine, for which the magazine paid a reported $6 million for—the photographs of the twins became the most expensive celebrity picture ever taken.^[148] Following the birth of her twins, Lopez took a break from her career in 2008.

Lopez and Anthony performing in concert, January 20, 2009.

[edit] 2009–11: American Idol and Love?

While pregnant with twins Max and Emme, Lopez had been writing material for her seventh studio album Love?, with a planned release for the summer of 2010.^[149] On what to expect of the album, she said "Once you get past the party on the album, and you listen to some of the words, you will see that I really talk about the power of love but also the devastation of it and everything in between."^[150] A song titled "Fresh Out the Oven" featuring Miami rapper Pitbull surfaced online in October 2009 but her record label said that it was simply a buzz single.^[151] It topped the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. The project's official lead single, "Louboutins", had its radio debut on November 23, 2009, following the song's premiere and performance at the 2009 American Music Awards. The song only managed to enter the Hot Dance Club Play chart six weeks after release and reaching number 1, however, it failed to enter any other chart, including the Billboard Hot 100. On January 27, 2010, it was announced that Lopez would guest-star on an episode of How I Met Your Mother as Anita Appleby, a no-nonsense author of self-help books that teach women how to mold men into "relationship machines" through the power of denial.^[152] In February 2010 Lopez and her record label of ten years, Epic Records, parted ways.^[153][154] Lopez's manager, Benny Medina, confirmed the news, saying "Jennifer had a wonderful relationship with the Sony Music Group, and they have shared many successes together, but the time was right to make a change that best serves the direction of her career as an actress and recording artist... She is grateful and appreciative to everyone at Sony for all that they accomplished together."^[155] Lopez later released a statement to the media where she said that she had already completed her contractual obligations with Sony Music Entertainment and Epic Records and decided it was for the best to end the partnership on amicable terms. She added that she found a new "home" [record label] for the album 'Love?'.^[156] Shortly after being spotted talking to Island Def Jam's chairman and CEO L.A. Reid,^[157] it was confirmed on March 19, 2010 that Lopez signed with Island Def Jam, and was working on new material for Love? with RedZone Entertainment (Kuk Harrell, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart).^[158][159] In April 2010, she appeared in the romantic comedy The Back-up Plan.^[160] The film debuted at the top spot at the Box Office.^[161][162] While the film didn't meet positive reviews, Lopez's performance as "Zoe" was praised and called a "winning performance".^[163][164]

In June 2010, following the departure of Ellen DeGeneres from American Idol, it was reported that Lopez was in talks to join season ten's judging panel.^{[165][166][167]} However, it was then reported that Lopez was out of the running due to "outrageous demands",^[168][169] something which returning Idol producer, Nigel Lythgoe responded to by saying "[Jennifer] is in no way a diva, I've worked with her on quite a few occasions and I have never yet seen her be a diva." He did not confirm or deny reports of the contract negotiations between Lopez and the other Idol producers.^[170] Both Lopez and husband, Marc Anthony, were being considered for a role on The X Factor for their appeal to 'Latin' and 'International' markets.^[171] Lopez's involvement in The X Factor was ruled out when the media reported that she had accepted an offer to become a judge on season ten of Idol, despite being offered roles on both shows.^[172] The announcement was made official on September 22, 2010. MTV said "the deal was mutually beneficial to all those involved" whilst CNN reported that Lopez was viewing it as a decision to revive her career while Idol producers believe Lopez and Steven Tyler's appointments will strengthen viewing figures.^[173] The public agreed that Lopez was a more suitable judge replacement for Ellen, as she had experience within the music industry, which DeGeneres lacked.^[174]

In January 2011, Lopez's new single "On the Floor" featuring Pitbull (their second collaboration) surfaced online^[175] and it was later announced as the lead single from Love?, produced by RedOne, who predicted that it was going to be a "big hit".^[176] "On The Floor" was a commercial success, debuting at nine on the Hot 100 and peaking at three, her highest-charting song in eight years.^[177] It's accompanying music video premiered on an episode of American Idol on March 3, and has since become the highest viewed video by a female artist on YouTube, with over 510 million views.^[178] The song sold 8.4 million copies, becoming the fourth best-selling digital single of the year.^[179] Love? produced two more singles, the Taio Cruz produced "I'm Into You" featuring Lil Wayne, and "Papi", which became her 10th and 11th chart-toppers on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart.^[180] Love? was finally released on May 3, 2011 and reached the fifth position on the Billboard 200.^[181][182] It was a moderate success, and viewed as a humble comeback from Lopez, as many had considered her recording career over.^[143]

On July 15, days before Lopez's forty-second birthday, following seven years of marriage to Marc Anthony, the couple's representative announced that they were separating^[183][184] and Anthony later filed for divorce on April 9, 2012, citing irreconcilable differences.^[185] In November, she was named "Women of the year" by Glamour Magazine.^[186] Lopez was featured on will.i.am's single "T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)". On December 13, 2011, Los Angeles Times named her the "World's greatest musical comeback act", a ranking from an accuracast, a digital search that analyzed over a billion Google searches since 2004.^[187] Lopez ranked ahead of comebacks from artists such as Mariah Carey and Ricky Martin.^[187] She was also named "Best Comeback" act by Billboard.com Reader's Poll, leading with 47% of votes for the title, beating out Kelly Clarkson (17%) and Evanescence (12%).^[188]

[edit] 2012: ¡Q'Viva! The Chosen and Dance Again World Tour

Lopez returned as judge on the eleventh season of American Idol, reportedly earning $US20 million, compared to the $US12 million she earned last year.^[189] Lopez worked with ex-husband Marc Anthony and director-choeographer Jamie King on the talent series ¡Q'Viva! The Chosen, created by Simon Fuller. It follows Lopez, Anthony and King as they travel across 21 countries in Latin America to find new talent.^[190] It premiered on January 28, 2012 on Univision and was a ratings hit for the channel.^[191][192]

Lopez will embark on a co-headlining tour with Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias (pictured) in the midst of her debut headlining tour Dance Again World Tour.

In late 2011, it was confirmed that Lopez would be releasing a greatest hits album in 2012, with her vocal producer Kuk Harrell and The-Dream confirming their involvement in the project.^{[193][194][195]} L.A. Reid, chairman and CEO for Epic Records, confirmed on his Twitter account that a greatest hits album is in production.^[196] Later confirming an upcoming release herself, Lopez said the basis for her album was again "Love".^[197] Island Def Jam Records' Senior Vice President of A&R, Chris Anokute stated in an interview that he is working with Lopez on a dance album.^[198] In April 2012 Lopez released the lead single from her greatest hits album, "Dance Again" featuring American rapper Pitbull. It charted at 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, and also became her twelfth number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs.^[199] Later that month, Lopez was featured on Wisin & Yandel's song "Follow the Leader" from their upcoming album.^[200] Lopez is also working on two possible new songs, entitled "Clothes Off" and "Goin' In".^[201][202] Three new songs will appear on Lopez's upcoming greatest hits album.^[203] Lopez recorded "Goin' In" with Flo Rida for the film Step Up Revolution (2012). She debuted it at the finale American Idol with a performance medley that included "Follow the Leader", and the song made its premiere on Ryan Seacrest's radio show On Air with Ryan Seacrest on May 24, 2012 and will be released as a single on June 19, 2012.^[204]

During an interview with Extra TV Lopez confirmed that she had been working on a possible tour;^[205] she had previously talked about the possibility of a tour after the release of Love? around June 2011, which never materialized, as it could have jeapordised her position as a judge on American Idol.^[206] On June 23 and 27 Lopez will perform for her first headlining concert in Brazil for the Pop Music Festival in Sao Paulo.^[207] Furthermore, reports have said that Lopez is set to tour Latin America, with plans of visiting Panama, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru and Chile.^[208] Since this, sources have reported that Lopez is planning her first ever global world tour, which will have legs in United States, South America, Europe and Asia; and over 60 dates.^[209][210] It was announced on April 30, 2012 that Lopez would be going on a co-headlining world tour with Enrique Iglesias.^[211] The tour will earn Lopez an estimated $US13 million.^[189] Before this begins, Lopez will begin her Dance Again World Tour which will carry out throughout her tour with Iglesias.

Lopez is involved in multiple films, the first time she has been in years. She starred as Holly — a woman who adopts a baby from abroad with her husband after difficulty conceiving — in What to Expect When You're Expecting.^[212] The film was released to theaters on May 18, 2012.^[213] Lopez voices Shira in the upcoming animated film, Ice Age: Continental Drift which is the fourth movie in the Ice Age series.^[214] Another film which Lopez has shot her parts for, Parker will be released in 2013.^[215][216] Director Taylor Hackford has stated that the movie development has gone well, praising Lopez in a comment stating "I'm not kidding, this woman can really act. The last several years she's been doing romantic comedies – that's a talent, but as a dramatic actress she's got fantastic chops."^[217] On May 16, 2012, Forbes placed Lopez first on their "Celebrity 100 List", in turn naming her the most powerful celebrity in the world for their 2012 edition. She beat out Oprah Winfrey and Lady Gaga for the title, having earned $US52 million from May 2011–May 2012.^[218] Dorothy Pomerantz from Forbes staff said that it was due to her role as judge on American Idol, endorsement deals, fragrances and her much publicized personal life in the past year.^[219] This was a considerable jump on the list, considering the previous year she was number 50.^[189]

Products and endorsements[link]

In 2003, Lopez was in a pepsi commercial featuring Beyoncé Knowles and David Beckham entitled "Samurai".^[220] She endorses several L'Oréal products, and was named "L'Oréal Paris Global Brand Ambassador" In December 2010.^{[221][222][223]} She has shot several adds for the endorsement deal.^[223] Lopez's recent L'Oreal EverSleek campaign made its debut during the Golden Globes ad break, kicking it off in a big way.^[224] Products that Lopez has endorsed for L'Oreal recently include El Vive Triple Resist, True Match, Color Riche, GlamShine, and Voluminous Lashes commercials, the EverSleek commercial and print ads, and the Infallible Lip Color and ElVive Triple Resist print ads. In 2011, Lopez endorsed and promoted a variety of products. In addition to L'Oréal, lopez endorses Gillette women's products, such as the "Get Your Goddess Showing" project.^[225] She was named the first ever "Gillette-Venus Global Ambassador" In 2011, too.^[226][227] She recorded a cover of "Venus" by Shocking Blue for her Gillette-Venus advertisement.^[228] Lopez is a spokesperson for Harmon Kardon home surround sound system.^[229][230] Lopez is the face of TOUS Jewelry.^[231][232] Lopez is a spokesperson for Lux shampoo in Japan, appearing in the product's television commercials. As of late 2011, she promotes FIAT cats in the United States.^[233] Her advertisements for the brand have garnered negative reviews, and in January 2012 a United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) group told Lopez to end her endorsement for problems with the FIAT brand which "freely does business with a regime that is developing an illegal nuclear weapons program."^[234]

Fashion lines[link]

Lopez launched a lifestyle brand in 2001. Called J.Lo by Jennifer Lopez, the line included different types of clothing for young women, including jeans, T-shirts, coats, belts, purses, and lingerie, a jewelry line,^[235] and an accessory line that includes hats, gloves, and scarves.^[236] Lopez participated in the Louis Vuitton Winter 2003 campaign. In February 2005, Lopez unveiled her fashion line entitled "Sweetface" at New York Fashion Week.^[237] She worked on the line with Andy Hilfiger.^[238] The launch at New York Fashion Week received mixed reviews, mainly positive, Metanoya Webb, from InStyle Magazine reviewed: "It's a step up from her teen-age, pop line. It's definitely more mature, and it's more of a replica of what Jennifer does. It was a reflection of her, and I liked that."^[237] Some also noted that the launch of "Sweetface" focused more on the show and arrangement rather than the clothes, themselves.^[239] Lopez has a lingerie line with Victoria Beckham.^[240]

Lopez's frequent use of animal fur in her clothing lines has brought the scorn of people concerned with animal rights.^[241] At the Los Angeles premiere of Monster-in-Law, more than 100 protesters from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) held a demonstration to highlight their concerns.^[242] Director of marketing, Charlie Ross said "Jennifer Lopez is a great lover of fur. She is always photographed wearing fur and it was a material she loves and wanted to use. Sweetface is a luxury label and Jennifer wanted her furs. She told me her favourite piece in the collection is a fabulous bleached silver fox coat with strips of the fox stitched onto a chiffon back."^[243]

In late 2007, Lopez retired JLO by Jennifer Lopez and launched a new juniors' line called JustSweet.^[244] In June 2009, it was announced that "Sweetface" was put on hiatus,^[245] and later announced that it was closed down.^[246] In 2011, Lopez and her ex-husband, Marc Anthony launched a joint fashion line at Kohls; Anthony would work on the menswear and Lopez on the female clothing line. The lines were described as "high-quality contemporary."^[238] Lopez labelled her personal line as "affordable and completely her style." The line was released in October 2011.^[247][248] Anthony's line, too was released around the same time.^[249] They both worked with Tommy Hilfiger for the fashion lines.^[238] Anthony, at the grand opening of the line at a Jersey department store, said that they collaborated on the work, and noted how hard Lopez had worked on her line, he said he was "very proud of her."^[250]

Fragrances[link]

Lopez is credited for bringing back celebrity perfume endorsements, which was "dead" since the late 1980s.^[197] She ventured in the perfume industry with her debut Glow by J.Lo, which can be purchased anywhere including every-day shopping outlets like Macy's and pharmacy chains.^[251] Lopez said that she wanted Glow to be "Sexy and sensual."^[252] Glow by J.Lo has a scent of orange, grapefruit, jasmine, orris, Irises, vanilla and musk.^[253] Still by Jennifer Lopez was released as the third major fragrance in October 2003;^[254] it is described as "the scent of a woman," and "A scent that captures the way a woman feels when she has discovered herself. Real and true. Serene and sensual."^[255] Glow by J.Lo and Still were very successful in the fragrance market.^[256]

In 2005, Lopez launched three new fragrances: Miami Glow, Love at First Glow and Live.^[257] In 2006 she released Glow After Dark. In 2008, she released Deseo, Deseo Forever, Deseo for Men (her first male fragrance) and Live Platinum.^[257] Sunkissed Glow and My Glow were released in 2009, My Glow was inspired by the birth of her children.^[257] TLC, a division of Discovery Communications Inc, had signed Lopez to an unscripted reality series about the launching of her new fragrance,^[258] but the series never materialized. Her next fragrance was Blue Glow.^[257] Her 15th fragrance Love & Glamour was released in October 2010.^[259] Her 16th fragrance is L.A. Glow, inspired by L.A. Nightlife.^[260] She launched her 17th fragrance Love & Light on HSN In July 2011, where it sold 51,000 bottles in six hours, her most successful fragrance launch to date.^[261][262] Her 18th fragrance, Glowing has been announced.^[197][263] Apart from Fragrances, Lopez has endorsed several other products.

Philanthropy[link]

Jennifer Lopez holding the Puerto Rico flag, in September 2009

Lopez is an avid supporter of Children's Hospital Los Angeles and was presented with the Children's Humanitarian Award at the hospital's inaugural Noche de Niños gala in September 2004. Lopez continues to attend the annual red carpet event and is a regular visitor to the hospital. The singer participated in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon benefiting the hospital in 2008.

On February 14, 2007, Lopez received the Artists for Amnesty International award "in recognition of her work as producer and star of Bordertown, a film exposing the ongoing murders of hundreds of women in the border city of Juárez, Mexico". Nobel Peace Prize winner José Ramos-Horta presented the award to Lopez at the Berlin International Film Festival. She also received special recognition and thanks from Norma Andrade, co-founder of Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa A.C. ("May Our Daughters Return Home, Civil Association"), an organization consisting of mothers and families of the murdered women of Juárez. Lopez has also been involved in promoting vaccination for whooping cough.^[264] Lopez is working with Sounds of Pertussis and March of Dimes to promote awareness about the disease and encourage vaccination of adults to prevent spread of disease to infants.^[265]

Lopez has been featured in two charity singles. In 2001, along with several other popular artists, Lopez was featured on an album featuring verses of the song "What's Going On" under the name "Artists Against AIDS Worldwide", to benefit AIDS foundations in Africa.^[266][267] Other notable artists featured are Britney Spears, Ja Rule, Nas, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Nelly Furtado, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit, Destiny's Child, Wyclef Jean, Backstreet Boys among numerous others. Produced before the September 11 attacks, after the attacks the proceeds were given to American Red Cross, too.^[266][267] The same month, Lopez was featured on the song "El Ultimo Adios (The Last Goodbye)" along with 60 other Latin artists, in memory of the September 11 attacks to help raise money for families and charities involved or affected.^[268]

Lopez owns a foundation with her sister, Lynda Lopez, entitled The Maribel Foundation.^[269] The foundation was publicly launched In June 2010.^[269] The foundation's purpose is to bring wellbeing to mothers and children from under-privileged communities, in particular people who cannot afford medical services; and give people information about critical child and health care topics.^[270] The Maribel Foundation worked with Telemedicine clinics abroad and near to increase healthcare for serious cases.^[271] "Telemedicine" is a delivery system that uses technology (telecommunications) to conduct medical diagnoses, consultations, treatments, transfers of data, education of physicians, and dissemination of public health alerts and/or emergency updates.^[271]

Lopez had previously announced the foundation in 2008 at the Woman's Conference.^[272] The foundation's slogan is "Where children are concerned, there is no time to lose."^[273] Lopez has stated that inspiration came to her to build The Maribel Foundation after she discovered a bump on her daughter's head days after her birth; Emme turned out to be fine however Lopez felt that there are mothers out there and children, who don't have adequate access to medical information and she felt that she had to help in some way.^[274] For her foundation, Lopez recording a song, "One Step At a Time", dedicated to her twins. It was included on an album for the foundation, Every Mother Counts a CD which was released exclusively to Starbucks.^[275][276] The album was devoted fully to mothers. Lopez was one of the recipients of Love Our Children USA's "Mothers Who Make A Difference" awards in 2009.^[277] On October 25, 2011, The Maribel Foundation received a $500,000 dollar donation pledge from Samsung and Best Buy.^[278][279] An advertisement featuring Lopez promoting Samsung products for The Maribel Foundation has aired.^[280]

Artistry[link]

Musical style and themes[link]

	"Baby I Love U!" (2003) noicon A twenty-seven second sample of "Baby I Love U!" in which Lopez sings about being a hopeless romantic. Ben Affleck was considered as the inspiration for the song.[281]
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Lopez grew up with a heavy influence and love of music from her mother, who played records and sang constantly.^[24] During her early days in the music industry, she was viewed as a teen pop culture icon; despite being in her late-twenties, it was for the reasoning of her brand and music appealing to a younger generation.^[282] Lopez's music and the genre which it has been perceived as, has ranged from pop and Latin pop,^[283] to Dance, Funk and R&B.^[284] She has stated that the basis for her music is always the subject of Love, "I've been singing about Love since my first album. Its a really complex topic, and now that im at a really good place in my life, in a really good relationship [...] i can look at it in a different way."^[285] In her debut single, "If You Had My Love" Lopez confronts her lover with questions and ground rules before they can begin commit to a relationship.^[281] The lead single from her sophomore album J.Lo (2001) "Love Don't Cost a Thing" is the tale of a materialistic relationship—critics have questioned the song, believing that it's inspiration came from her high-profiled relationship with rapper Sean Combs. Lopez's third studio album, is more adult-oriented R&B and was much of its lyrical themes speak of her love for her then-fiance Ben Affleck. During the production of the album, Lopez stated "I wrote a lot of songs inspired, in a way, by what I was going through at the time that this album was being made, and he [Affleck] was definitely a big part of that."^[286] Songs from the album such as "Baby I Love U! and "Dear Ben" gush about her being a hopeless romantic.^[281] "I, Love" from Rebirth (2005) is a mid-tempo song, in which Lopez wants to convince her lover that she truly cares for him, suggesting that their romance is real despite his ignorant behavior. The title track from her full-Spanish language album Como Ama una Mujer (2007) lyrically speaks about listening to the heart's desire and first instinct regardless of the relationship's outcome.^[281] In her seventh studio album, entitled Love?, Lopez covers topics such as her past loves in her songs, "One Love" and "(What Is) Love?" which she goes into details through lyrics about her remaining an optimistic about love.^[287] In "(What Is) Love?" Lopez sings about struggling in the search for true love, talking about how she's had blind dates, dated church boys and musicians but is tired of it all.^[281]

Lopez has a classic soubrette vocal type; her voice has been called limited.^[288][289] Many critics have said that Lopez has never had a strong voice, but observe that she is the complete package performer with a thin voice.^[290] Lopez has always had an insecurity about the strength of her voice from the start, “The voice was always there, I was just so insecure about it in the beginning," she said in an interview.^[291] She has also said that "I’m very proud of who I am as a vocalist from where I started."^[291] Tom Sinclair from Entertainment Weekly noted that she has always had her "way" with hooks, and works with a variety of producers.^[292] Lopez has received critiscm for her voice not being strong enough over the course of her music career. Adam Markovitz from Entertainment Weekly has said that "despite the star power she emits on screen, her vocals have always been less than stellar" and that she "often sounds limited and nasal, with a flatness that can feel downright Rebecca Black-esque at its worst."^[293] Wheresoever, others have said differently; fellow American Idol judge Randy Jackson said that "She doesn't have the biggest voice in the world, but she can sing. It's the (complete) package [...]"^[294] Jackson also said "While we're sitting there judging she's always singing these songs and I go, 'You really do sing!'"^[295] Daniel Chang from The Spectator said "Lopez will achieve more success as an actress than she will as a singer. Which is to say, Lopez can sing, but there are better introductions to Latin and R&B music out there."^[296]

In late 2007, The York Press wrote "So far into her career, Lopez is at last making great records. Her voice now has greater depth and is infused with Latin passion, which frankly was missing on her earlier records. Her material is also far stronger," around the releases of Como Ama Una Mujer and Brave.^[132] The York Press also complimented Lopez for not needing as much "digital enhancement" on her voice compared to Britney Spears.^[132] They also said that "Lopez stunned many with [...] Como Ama una Mujer, which at last proved that she is a major musical force."^[132] A writer from The Sun said "'On the 6' makes it clear she can sing. [Jennifer] Lopez has no trouble handling the material presented to her [...] No doubt about it, as a singer, Lopez has a lot of talent and stylistic range. Instead, she ends up doing impressions, singing as other, more distinctive, performers might have. So when producer Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs fabricates a lush, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-type groove, she responds by offering her best Janet Jackson imitation." He went on to say: "It isn't as if Lopez is merely a chameleon, without a sound to call her own. Her breathily romantic duet with Marc Anthony, the Spanish-language love song "No Me Ames," reveals depths and resonance unheard in other tracks. Likewise, there's a sassy confidence beneath the romantic dismissal of "It's Not That Serious" that suggests Lopez may yet attain the awesome power of diva-hood."^[297] Tom Sinclair of Entertainment Weekly commented on Lopez's vocals saying, "There's no way to know if Jennifer Lopez's voice is mechanically altered or not, but on the recorded evidence of her sophomore album, J.Lo, her singing seems to be in key".^[298] In a review of her seventh studio album, Love?, Alex Macpherson from BBC Music complimented Lopez, "(She) possesses both a lightness of touch and the effortless confidence of one of nature's own divas, which means that whenever she hits the floor to essay up-tempo swagger tracks she convinces without being as overbearing. Love? seeks to showcase her vulnerability and depth of feeling."^[299]

Influences[link]

Barbra Streisand (left), Madonna (middle) and Janet Jackson (right) are three of Lopez's biggest influences

From a musical perspective, Lopez has viewed Madonna as a big influence.^[300] In an interview with NY Rock, when asked who was her first biggest musical influence, Lopez stated "I think Madonna. For my era growing up, [she] was the quintessential performer, and a push-the-envelope type of person. I don't think that I'm a push-the-envelope type of person. But I think Madonna was so visionary. And in her shows, she was so expressive. So that was very inspiring for me as a young girl. I remember seeing a lot of her shows."^[301] According to Fouz-Hernández, female pop performers like Lopez were like "Madonna's daughters in the very direct sense that they grew up listening to and admiring Madonna, and decided they wanted to be like her."^[302] Other musical influences for Lopez include Selena,^[303] Janet Jackson,^[304] Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Toni Braxton, Gloria Estefan, Deborah Gibson, Paula Abdul, Spice Girls and Salt-N-Pepa.^[305] Lopez has credited Barbra Streisand as her idol, saying that she felt that she "graduated" from music when she sang Streisand's music.^[306] Pop music critic Gene Stout commented that Janet Jackson in particular has influenced a younger generation of performers including Lopez.^[307] Lopez has also stated that newer artists have also more "inspired" her rather than influenced her as an artist, such as Lady GaGa. Lopez told MTV News that "I'm always motivated by other artists and inspired by them. They inspire me because when i see other people doing great things, it makes me want to do great things too. I never am one to look at other people and try to do what they do. I always feel like a true artist does what they do and it is very very individual to who they are. I love her [Gaga] sense of lyric and melody, I feel like she’s very interesting. It’s just not something you’re gonna hear everyday. I really love the records she worked on and was glad to be able to take those and make them my own and actually have that collaboration with her. I feel very lucky to have done that."^[308] After motherhood, Lopez also credited her twins as a huge influence in the direction of her music, "You can't help but put not only your kids into it, but to put anything you are going through in your music. That's the only thing you can really sing or write is stuff that you know. The more music you make and the more that you get into it and the more you write, the more you realize that's all you can write."^[287] Lopez has credited former husband Marc Anthony for giving her confidence to sing, stating in a 2012 interview with Vogue Magazine "He always told me what a beautiful voice I have [sic] He was like, ‘It’s in there; you just gotta let it out. It’s a confidence thing with you.’ Then all of a sudden one day I was like, ‘I’m good at this!’"^[309]

Music videos and choreography[link]

Lopez is well known for her upbeat pop songs and Latin-pop influenced dancing abilities. She is professionally trained dancer^[310]—initially beginning her career as a dancer ("fly girl") on In Living Color from 1991 to 1993, before venturing into acting and later a recording career.^[311] She began to learn and master different dance techniques from self-paid dance classes, and became a back-up dancer for Janet Jackson.^[311] When she was a child, she specialized in ballet, jazz and flamenco dancing.^[312] She has worked with well known choreographers Dave Scott, Cris Judd (her former husband), Brian Friedman, Wade Robson, Tyce Diorio, Travis Payne, Jeri Slaughter, Laurie Ann Gibson, Mia Michaels and Tina Landon.^[313] Top 10.com ranked Lopez 5th on their "Top 10 All Time Best Dancers in the World" list, placing her ahead of Gene Kelly, Janet Jackson and M.C. Hammer, describing her as both a glamour queen and a terrific dancer.^[314] In her 2004 film Shall We Dance in which she starred opposite Richard Gere, Lopez and Gere danced many genres, including Salsa dance and Ballroom dance.^[312][315] In the film, her dance technique received praise.^[316]

Lopez's music videos are well known for having dance breaks, including her music videos for "If You Had My Love" (1999) and "Love Don't Cost a Thing" (2000)—she brought back dance breaks in her later music videos for "I'm Into You" and "Papi" (2011).^[317] Her debut music video, for "If You Had My Love" directed by Paul Hunter, is notable for its theme of voyeurism; Lopez sings and dances while others watch her from various other locations through different types of screens. The video also includes her "signature" dance break.^[318] Her third single Waiting For Tonight's music video is set at a party counting down to The New Year (in this case, being 1999, a "millennium party"), the song's success on the charts was due to the video's anticipated theme towards the year 2000.^[319] Lopez's music video for "I'm Glad" (from her third studio album This Is Me...Then) was described as one of he more "complicated" videos which recreated scenes from a 1983 film Flashdance.^[320] In the music video for "Get Right" (2005) directed by Francis Lawrence, Lopez sports several different characters including a bartender, stripper, nerdy girl and a superstar among several others all at a nightclub.^[321] The video for her comeback single, "On the Floor" (2011) was praised for its sex appeal which was compared to her music video for "I'm Gonna Be Alright" (2002).^[322] Matthew Perpetua from Rolling Stone said it was "classic Lopez tweaked for 2011" with upgraded dance-pop style, and a high fashion wardrobe as eccentric as that of Rihanna and Lady Gaga.^[323] The music video for "On The Floor" allowed Lopez to enter social media charts^[324] and Entertainment Weekly's Tanner Stransky said that the clip brought back the old Lopez that everyone knew and loved, and also added that it was "Sexy and sultry".^[325] Her follow up video, "I'm Into You" was praised, Kyle Anderson from Entertainment Weekly applauded her natural beauty and said "that time-out at the three-quarters mark is as sharp as any diva dance break you’ll see."^[326] In her music video for "Papi", Lopez consumes a chocolate chip cookie which will allow her "love" to come back, given to her by her apartment mail attendant; she takes too large a bite, resulting in the magic of the cookie to become effective—groups of men chase her around town until her true love finds her.^[327] The video received positive feedback, a writer from Huffington Post wrote "Ms. Lopez has still got it —'Jenny from the Block' breaks into a signature group dance number and kills it!"^[328] After the release of the video for her single "Dance Again" which featured Lopez's real-life boyfriend, Casper Smart, John Mitchell from MTV News looked back on Lopez's previous videos, saying that she had a "history" of flaunting her men in videos.^[329]

Lopez has been nominated for a total of 18 MTV Video Music Awards, winning two throughout her career. She was ranked at number twenty-one on VH1's "50 Greatest Women of the Video Era" list.^[330] Throughout her music videos, she has worked with several directors and choreographers, including working with Paul Hunter, Francis Lawrence and Dave Meyers several times.^{[331][321][332]} She is considered a sex symbol through her music videos.^[333] Jennifer Lopez considers Janet Jackson a big influence on her dancing and music videos. She has lauded Jackson's videography, stating her music videos "had such an impact on me as a fan but also as an artist."^[334] Lopez has named Jackson's music video for "The Pleasure Principle" as her favorite dancing music video of all time.^[335]