On the 20th anniversary of her third studio album, This is Me…Then, Jennifer Lopez announced the release of her first album since 2014’s album AKA nine years ago. Playing off the title of Lopez’s third album, the newly-announced LP will be titled This is Me…Now, features thirteen new songs, one of which is called “Dear Ben pt. 2,” which Nina Corcoran speculates could presumably function as “ a sequel to her 2002 song “Dear Ben” about her husband Ben Affleck” (Pitchfork). When breaking this news on social media as well, Lopez framed this announcement with a shared video in which a recreation of the album cover of the album This is Me…Then gradually transitions and morphs into a modern-day photoshoot of the pop artist posing, possibly functioning as a hint to what the new album cover may look like upon release. 

According to Variety, This Is Me… Now‘ “is said to chronicle ‘the emotional, spiritual and psychological journey of the singer-actor over the past two decades… An emotionally raw and honest project unlike any she has produced before, she writes and sings about her life and experiences that will resonate with us all. In addition, these autobiographical stories informed by the album will result in other very personal projects that will be released next year…more to come on that.”

The author goes on to describe the press release accompanying this announcement by describing how the record touches on the artist’s troubled childhood and tumultuous relationships and “the incredible emotional journey she has been on. … This album is a philosophy, a reflection, a zeitgeist moment. It’s about hope, faith and true love never dying,” 

In an interview with Vogue, Jennifer Lopez herself referred to the album as “the most honest work she has ever done” and said her hope for the album was to create a world to go with the music in the manner of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall,” but with the focus being love(Variety).

Along with this announcement, Jennifer Lopez also shared the full tracklist for the 2023 album, which can be found below.

This Is Me… Now:

01 This Is Me… Now
02 To Be Yours
03 Mad in Love
04 Can’t Get Enough
05 Rebound
06 not. going. anywhere.
07 Dear Ben pt. ll
08 Hummingbird
09 Hearts and Flowers
10 Broken Like Me
11 This Time Around
12 Midnight Trip to Vegas
13 Greatest Love Story Never Told

The J-Lo documentary Halftime, depicting the artist’s performance during the Super Bowl halftime show in 2020, opened the Tribeca Film Festival this year on June 8, and was sequentially released on Netflix on June 14th.

Jennifer Lopez is also set to star in the new film The Mother, of which a teaser has recently been released.