Love?
Love? is the seventh studio album by American singer Jennifer Lopez. It was released on April 29, 2011, by Island Records. Produced during the pregnancy of her twins Emme and Max, Love? was cited by Lopez as her most personal album to date, taking inspiration from the birth of her twins and her own experiences with love.
For the unrelated song, see Love? (Donna and Joe song). For other uses, see Love (disambiguation).Love?
April 29, 2011
2009–2011
- Ninja Club (Atlanta)
- Triangle Sound (Atlanta)
- Little Big Sound (Burbank)
- Al Burna (Davie)
- Et Al Indamix (Dominican Republic)
- Conway (Hollywood)
- Larrabee (Hollywood)
- Chalice (Los Angeles)
- Henson (Los Angeles)
- Pulse (Los Angeles)
- Record Plant (Los Angeles)
- Treehouse (Los Angeles)
- Hit Factory Criteria (Miami)
- Cove City (New York)
- MSR (New York)
- Vault (New York)
46:58
- BeatGeek
- Mike Caren
- D'Mile
- Nate "Danja" Hills
- Jimmy Joker
- Lady Gaga
- Terius "The-Dream" Nash
- Oligee
- Radio
- RedOne
- Stargate
- C. "Tricky" Stewart
Recording for the album began in 2009, with an original release date for the project set for January 2010 by Epic Records to coincide with Lopez's film The Back-up Plan. However following the lack of success with lead single "Louboutins", Lopez and Epic Records parted ways, leaving the fate of Love? in uncertainty. In 2010, Lopez signed a new record deal with Island Records, allowing proceedings for the release to be kept. The album includes a mixture of previously recorded material which leaked online in 2009 and 2010 during recording sessions, along with new songs with Tricky Stewart, The-Dream and RedOne commissioned by Island Records. Primarily a dance-pop[2] record, Love? also marks a return to Lopez's pop/R&B roots.[3]
Upon its release, Love? garnered mixed reviews from music critics. While some were critical of it, others disagreed, praising it as a great dance album. Commercially, Love? debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 chart, becoming her sixth album to peak within the top 10 in the United States, and her highest peak since 2005's Rebirth. Internationally, Love? experienced moderate success, peaking within the top 10 in twenty-four different countries and also reaching the top five of several music markets. The album sold 353,000 copies in the United States.
The album's first single under Island Records is "On the Floor" and features Pitbull. It reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped over thirty international charts, while the second and third singles from Love?, being "I'm Into You" featuring rapper Lil Wayne and "Papi", both topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs, each becoming moderate hits. Love? has become her third consecutive album to have all singles reach number one on that chart, earning her a milestone for eleven number ones at the time tying her with Katy Perry and Kristine W.
Background[edit]
Love? follows the footsteps of her least commercially successful album, Brave (2007), which just missed the top ten of the US Billboard 200, at position 12.[4] Its beginnings date from late 2007 and early 2008, during Lopez's pregnancy with twins Emme and Max. While pregnant, and while at home after pregnancy, Lopez had been working on new music for future projects.[5] In February 2009, a new song from those recording sessions titled "Hooked on You" leaked online.[6] Lopez would address the leak on her official website in May 2009, where she said "I'm always excited about my music and this ["Hooked on You"] is one of a few tracks I'm currently working on. I'm flattered by everyone's interest in the track and really excited for you to hear the real thing..."[7] Songwriter Wynter Gordon also addressed another leak from the album, a song that Gordon wrote called "What Is Love". In a personal blog through her official MySpace page, Gordon expressed her discontent that an unfinished, unmastered version of "What Is Love" had been leaked through the Internet. "I wrote this song from a deep place in my heart. If the world was gonna hear it, I wanted them to hear it right... It's as good as gone to me now... The story was given a Lifetime TV special instead of a movie... sad." Gordon did note that she was dissatisfied with the circumstances but was in "no way dissing Lopez."[8] The following month Lopez told MTV's Larry Carol that she was keen to finish the album and several singles, with a potential release date for the end of 2009.[5]
In February 2010, Lopez left Sony Music Entertainment (and Epic Records) by mutual consent.[9] Her departure from the label temporarily halted production on the album.[10] However upon signing a new contract with Island Def Jam Music Group, recording resumed on the album, and Lopez entered the studio with Kuk Harrell[11][12] to record brand new material for the disc.[13] The New York Daily News revealed that Lopez would be taking some of the records recorded under Sony Music to her new label so that they could be included on the album. She said "stuff I'd been performing will be on the album as will previously released dance cuts." According to the paper, Island Def Jam would also release a remix disc alongside the album.[13] AOL's music entertainment site, PopEater, later reported that Epic Records had actually shelved Love? and never committed to releasing the album, although this was never confirmed by Lopez, Epic or Island Def Jam.[14] In February 2011, Lopez told BBC that the album was nearly complete. She had around twenty songs recorded from 2009–2011 which were being considered for the album, but she was finding it hard to edit the final track listing. "I'm very proud of the album; it's so hard to edit it because I have recorded maybe 20 songs and of course I'm not going to put 20 songs on an album, so to cut out eight to ten of those... it's breaking my heart."[15] Lopez credits Love? as her best album to date because on it she recorded her "best vocals".[16] RedOne and Lopez's new label boss, Antonio "L.A." Reid served as executive producers on the album.[17]
Title, concept and cover[edit]
Lopez revealed to MTV that the album would have a very tight and focused concept. Although in initial interviews she refused to reveal the title or concept, she said the album was personal to her. "You can't help but put not only your kids into it, but to put anything you are going through in your music", she said. "[T]he 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."[5] In October 2009, People magazine revealed that Lopez's album was going to be called Love?.[26] She would tell KIIS FM's DJ Skee that she had chosen to call her album Love? because love was something that still confused her. "Love is the most confusing thing in the world, that's why the album is called Love with a question mark."[47] Lopez told The Advocate's Brandon Voss that she also took into account the gay community and how they might feel towards the album. She said all her previous albums had a universal appeal and the LGBT community had played a part in the success of her music in the past, e.g. "Waiting for Tonight" (1999).[27]
During interviews with one of her official fansites, Lopez also revealed that fans could expect a mixture of musical styles like her previous albums. "Expect pop records, R&B and a little hip hop."[48] When Billboard previewed the album in January 2010, Ben-Yehuda Ayala said "Lopez sings, talk-sings and broods (within pop reason) on the subject of love,"[49] while Rap-Up said it is very much in keeping with the title, "a love roller coaster, taking you through the ups and downs of a relationship."[21] Following her move to Island Def Jam, Lopez said she would still be pressing ahead with the album under the title Love?. "I just feel like it's an endlessly fascinating topic that all my albums have been about. It's still very confusing to me and so I explore that on this album, probably more than my other albums."[48] She also revealed that her husband Marc Anthony initially disapproved of the title because he felt that it may imply that the couple were having marital problems. However in interviews with DJ Skee, she said "love has always been a theme of my career and this record wasn't going to be different. The album has a lot of up-tempo, dancy, urban tracks."[47]
The album cover for Love? was revealed on Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People of 2010, which aired December 11, 2010.[50] On the cover, Lopez is adorned with diamonds "and a fur coat as she looks into the distance."[50] Robbie Daw from Idolator joked that "from the look of things, it seems as if Miss Lopez's hair is having a close encounter of the third kind on the cover. Or maybe that's just her natural glow when she's up in the morning making flapjacks for the kids?"[51] The deluxe edition, which features sixteen tracks as opposed to twelve on the standard edition, features the same cover as the standard edition except the background and text is tinged blue instead of pink.[52][53]
Release and label change[edit]
In July 2009, a spokesperson for Lopez told People magazine that Lopez was not replacing Paula Abdul on the eighth season of American Idol because she would be busy promoting her film, The Back-up Plan as well as her new album. Both projects were slated for a January 2010 release, despite Lopez previously stating that she was aiming for the end of 2009.[54] However during an interview with KTU Mornings, Lopez revealed that both the album and film were being pushed back to April 2010.[55] Rap-Up magazine would later confirm that the album and film were being released together in cross-promotion of each other.[21] However this date appeared unlikely when, backstage at the 52nd Grammy Awards ceremony, she said "I'm working on my album that will be out... hopefully this year, we'll see if I get it done... You know how it is, you go in your there non-stop, you leave it alone for a minute and you come back – you're like, okay, this is what I need."[56]
On February 22, 2010, it was announced that Lopez had parted ways with Epic Records, leaving the fate of the album in jeopardy.[57] The initial press release from Lopez's manager Benny Medina said: "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".[10] That same day, Lopez's representative confirmed the news to Entertainment Weekly and revealed that Lopez was negotiating a deal with several other labels.[58] Lopez herself confirmed the split and announced that she had found a new label and that the album would be released in the summer of 2010, "I have fulfilled my contractual responsibilities with Sony/Epic up to this point, and we have both reached friendly terms about my departure from the label. I'm also happy to say that we've found a new home for my album, 'Love,' and that it is slated for release in the summer of 2010."[9] Billboard magazine would later go on to confirm that Lopez had signed to Def Jam Records and that the album was now due in Summer 2011.[11][59] According to Rap-Up magazine, the album was to be released on March 29, 2011.[60] Just several weeks after the first announcement, Rap-Up announced that the album had been pushed back to April 19, 2011. No reason was given for the new date.[61] This conflicted with comments made by Lopez during an online chat with her fans. On March 13, 2011, Lopez said that the album was most likely to come out at the end of May 2011 after at least one more single had been released.[45] A final release date of May 3, 2011, in the United States was later confirmed.[62]
Singles[edit]
On December 21, 2009, when the album was due for release under Epic Records, a song titled "Louboutins" was released as Love?'s first single.[77] Despite being promoted with several live performances, the song was declared a commercial failure after failing to garner US airplay, although it did top the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. It was one of the contributing factors to Lopez leaving Epic Records.[9][78] The album's first single under Island Records is "On the Floor". The uptempo dance song features rapper Pitbull along with a sample of Kaoma's 1989 hit single "Lambada", and elements of house and Latin music.[40] It was sent to mainstream radio on February 8, 2011,[79] and was first released for digital download as a remix EP on February 11.[80] The standard version was released on February 18.[81] The song was well received by critics who compared it to Lopez's 1999 debut single "If You Had My Love",[82] and her millennium hit single "Waiting for Tonight".[73][83] It is the first single from Love? to receive recognition on the US Billboard charts, after the Epic Records' buzz single, "Fresh Out the Oven" (also featuring Pitbull), and previous lead single, "Louboutins", both failed to receive any airplay.[9] The single reached the top five in most countries around the world, including reaching number one in eighteen countries. In the UK, it reached number one, giving Lopez her third number one single in the UK and first since 2005's "Get Right".[84]
During an online chat with fans in March 2011, Lopez revealed that she was considering releasing "I'm Into You", featuring her favorite male rapper, Lil Wayne, as the album's next single.[85][86] The song was released in many countries on April 1, 2011. "I'm Into You" was also used in a promotional campaign in the US and Canada on Lopez's official Facebook page. If enough fans "liked" the song, then it would be unlocked for early purchase on the iTunes Store.[87] On April 1, the song was released to iTunes, four days earlier than planned for those markets.[88] A music video for the single began production on April 2, 2011.[42] The video aired on NBC's The Today Show on May 2, 2011.[89]
"Papi" was released as the third single[90] It impacted U.S. Top 40/Mainstream and Rhythmic radio on September 27, 2011[91] and was released in the UK on October 31, 2011.
Commercial performance[edit]
Love? debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 83,000 copies in its first week.[105][106] In its second week, the album dropped to number nine, selling 33,000 copies.[107] In its third week, the album dropped to number 18, selling 18,000 copies.[108] In the fourth week, the album slipped only one slot to number 19 with 16,000 copies.[109] The following week, it fell to number 38, selling 12,000 copies.[110] In its first month of sales, Love? sold 138,400 copies.[111] As of July 2020, Love? had sold 353,000 copies in the US.[112]
Elsewhere, Love? performed decently. The album debuted at number 11 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart, becoming her highest debut since 2005's Rebirth, which peaked at number 10.[113] Later, the album jumped to number nine, becoming her highest peaking album on the Australian charts since 2001's J.Lo.[113] The album spent eight weeks on the charts, her longest since 2002's This Is Me... Then.[113] In New Zealand, the album debuted at number 19, becoming her best debut since her 2002's remix compilation J to tha L–O! The Remixes.[114] In its third week, the album peaked at number 12, her highest since J to tha L-O!, which peaked at number three.[114]
In Europe, the album performed moderately well. In Switzerland, the album peaked at number one, becoming her fourth album to do so.[115] It was later certified gold for selling more than 15,000 copies. In Spain, the album peaked at number three, becoming her best since 2007's Como Ama una Mujer.[116] In France, the album debuted and peaked at number seven, becoming her best effort on the French charts since Rebirth, remaining for 24 weeks on the charts, her longest since This Is Me... Then.[117] In the United Kingdom, Love? debuted and peaked at number six, her best album on the UK charts since J to tha L–O!.[118] In July 2013, the album was certified gold in the country for completing shipments of 100,000 units.[119]
Notes[19]