Jennifer Lopez has released a new album, “This Is Me…Now,” 20 years after her Ben Affleck-inspired “This Is Me…Then.”
Lopez’s social media accounts went dark this week, leading fans to speculate that she would make a big announcement. Fans were not let down when she announced the release of her new album on Instagram on Thursday.
Her upcoming album will feature 13 songs, including “This Is Me…Now,” “Dear Ben pt. II,” “Midnight Trip to Vegas,” “Greatest Love Story Never Told,” and “To Be Yours,” among others.
According to People, the announcement comes two decades after Lopez released her third album, “This Is Me…Then,” which was inspired by her then-boyfriend and now-husband, Affleck.
Lopez and Affleck started dating in the early 2000s but broke up in 2004. They reconciled 18 years later and married in July in a surprise wedding in Las Vegas.
“Jenny from the Block,” “Loving You,” “Dear Ben,” “Loving You,” “Still,” “The One,” and “Again” were among the 12 songs on Lopez’s “This Is Me…Then” album.
Lopez also shared with People a recreation of the original album cover for 2022.
The text on the new album cover read:
“This is me then, this is me now.”
According to a press release obtained by the outlet, the “Let’s Get Loud” singer’s new project chronicles her “emotional, spiritual, and psychological journey over the past two decades.”
The release stated:
“This album is a philosophy, a reflection, a zeitgeist moment. It’s about hope, faith and true love never dying.”
Fans gushed and expressed their enthusiasm for Lopez’s upcoming album, with Melissa Gorga saying:
“This is genius.”
Loren Ridinger commented:
“I love you then and I love you now. Always.”
Stevie Mackey said:
“This is about to be epic.”
DJ Sinatra wrote:
“Another classic on the way.”
Tracey Anderson added:
“‘Dear Ben pt ll,’ the sweetest title ever written!!!!! Forever an inspiration! Wow.”
Lopez previously referred to her 2002 album as her “favorite album.”
The singer-actress captioned her video:
“All of my albums are very special to me, but ‘This Is Me … Then’ is my favorite album I’ve ever done … so far!”
She wrote in conclusion:
“I know a lot of you have heard me say that before, so in honor of my #JLovers helping it re-enter the album charts AGAIN after 19 years … here is a lil #TBT #ThisIsMeThen.”
“This Is Me… Now” will be released in 2023.