J.Lo is the second studio album by American singer Jennifer Lopez. It was released on January 23, 2001, by Epic Records. Lopez began recording the album in April 2000, enlisting producers such as Cory Rooney, Troy Oliver, Dan Shea and Sean Combs, all of whom she had worked with on her debut album On the 6 (1999). The album's title refers to the nickname given to her by fans, with Lopez describing it as an homage to her supporters. Drawing from her own experiences, Lopez included more personal songs on this album, which deals with themes of relationships, empowerment and sex. J.Lo is a primarily dance-pop, Latin and R&B album which encompasses Latin pop, retro and contemporary pop.
Upon its release, the album received generally mixed reviews from music critics, who criticized its manufactured sound, while praising its Spanish and dance material. Commercially, J.Lo debuted atop the US Billboard 200 the same week as her film The Wedding Planner opened at number one at the domestic box office. The album was certified quadruple platinum in the United States, making it her highest-selling to date, and became the sixth most successful album of the year worldwide.
"Love Don't Cost a Thing" was released as the album's lead single on November 20, 2000, reaching number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the UK Singles Chart. The album's second single, "Play", reached the top twenty in most countries, including the United Kingdom where it reached number three. "I'm Real" was serviced to radio as the album's third on June 19, 2001. To further its success, record executives at Epic recruited Ja Rule of Murder Inc Records to create a remix of the song, "I'm Real (Murder Remix)". The remix, which featured Ja Rule, shifted Lopez's musical style from pop to a more hip hop and urban-oriented sound. It was the number one song in the United States at the time of the September 11 attacks for five non-consecutive weeks. "Ain't It Funny" was released as the album's fourth and final single on June 20, 2001. The album has sold over 12 million copies worldwide.
Background
Prior to the release of J.Lo, Lopez had joined an elite group of limited actors to crossover successfully into the music industry. Inspired to pursue a music career after playing Selena in a musical biopic about the late singer of the same time, Lopez was signed to The Work Group and released her debut album On the 6 (1999). Initially, the entertainer planned to release music in Spanish, although Tommy Mottola, the head of Sony Music Entertainment at the time, suggested that she sing in English. Subsequently, Lopez along with Ricky Martin led a large group of Hispanics who had crossed over into mainstream music with English material, including Enrique Iglesias, Marc Anthony and Christina Aguilera. At the time, this was referred to by the media as a Latin pop crossover "explosion" and "ethnic boom". Musically, On the 6 explored a Latin soul genre, and featured Lopez singing about love. It produced the number-one hit "If You Had My Love", as well as "Waiting for Tonight", which reached the top ten in the United States, among other singles. The album itself was a success, reaching number eight in the United States and selling eight million copies by 2003.
In April 2000, MTV News reported that Lopez, who had just finished filming a romantic comedy entitled The Wedding Planner, would begin recording her second studio album after wrapping up filming for another film, Angel Eyes (2001). That August, Lopez told LaunchCast that the album would be titled My Passionate Journey. "I'm halfway done right now. Hopefully I'll have it out by October," she said. It was reported that Lopez's boyfriend at the time, Sean Combs, who co-produced some of the tracks on On the 6, would contribute to the album. Additionally, it was reported that Rodney Jerkins, who produced "If You Had My Love", was working with Lopez. She said "I've grown musically, vocally, and everything" and wanted her second album to "... be more of a reflection of who I am, my own experiences".
The album was tentatively titled The Passionate Journey and set for release in November 2000, with the first single scheduled for release in late September. Lopez revealed in August 2000: "I had a deadline, but then I went and did three movies. So I'd been writing it during the movies and getting it together. And now I'm in there recording it." Lopez eventually decided to name the album J.Lo, which was a nickname her fans called her on the streets since the beginning of her career. She titled the album this as a homage to her fans, "My fans call me J.Lo. Giving the album this title is my way of telling them that this is for them in appreciation of their support."