2 New Singles by JLO according to Willy

Jennifer Lopez during the shooting of "Same Girl" in December 2013
Photo: Jennifer's Instagram

The Jenny from the block we all know and love is back Ladies and Gentlemen!

JLo and DJ Mustard in the studio
Photo: DJ Mustard's Instagram

2014 is shaping up to be a very busy year for Jennifer Lopez who just in the first month of the year has put out two new singles: “Girls” produced by DJ Mustard (Tyga’s “Rack City”) and co-written by her and Asia Bryant, to create buzz for her new-old sound and to let the world know she is back to what made her famous. On the other hand, “Same Girl” the first single of her new album to remind people that she may have a lot now but she still remembers when she had a little, also that she still knows where she comes from.

Hard to believe but the way “Girls” came to be was thanks to Twitter. DJ Mustard –who supposedly is also working on Rihanna’s new album- twitted the American Idol judge about some tunes he had for her to work on, to which she replied and a few days later this collaboration was available for all of us to hear through his SoundCloud account. I personally LOVE the song and I’m glad she is over that pop-dancey music and the countless feature songs with Pitbull. DJ Mustard’s signature “Ratchet” sound mixed with JLO’s laid back vocals are a great combination. its just what Lopez needed to get her all-time fans excited and why not, get some new ones. It may not be upbeat but it is definitely a club banger. 

Listen below:

Lopez for Glamour UK March 2014
Photo: Glamour Magazine UK

“Same Girl” is said to be another buzz single of JLO’s new album to be released via Island Records in the first semester of 2014 –or so it is said-. She shot the video in the Bronx back in December and it was very laid back, very “real” like she claimed to be a little more than 10 years ago. In the video we can see her walking around her old neighborhood Castle Hill, taking pictures with fans, signing autographs, taking the 6 train and walking on the streets saluting people everywhere looking as casual as possible wearing jeans, a black jacket and a Yankees cap. "This was probably the craziest thing I've done in my career of music and movies," she told Complex about making the video. She added,  "I like just being able to do things spontaneously, and not have everything so planned out." Jennifer herself, Chris Brown and Cory Rooney wrote the song, Steven Gomillion and Dennis Leupold directed video.

Although it is nice to see somebody as big as Jennifer Lopez being so humble and grateful, in my opinion this single lacks ambition. She needs to be more aggressive if she wants to take over the world like she's done in the past with her previous work, even with the Pitbull trilogy. I remember her single "I'm Gonna Be Alright" with NaS and her two other singles with Ja Rule, the remixes of "Ain't It Funny" and "I'm Real", being my favorites back in the day and I was left wishing she would someday come back to this sound that has worked for her in the past and brought her so much success and recognition. Well it seems the time is now but even though "Same Girl" is a catchy tune, it is just cool enough for a buzz single. I don't think I see her hungry enough like she has been in the past, or maybe she is just downplaying it.

Watch the video below:

Musically speaking we haven’t heard it all yet from the Boricua artist. Jennifer Lopez is also said to have recorded the official song for the Fifa World Cup 2014 “We Are One (Ole Ola)”, with no other than Pitbull and the coach of The Voice Brazil, Claudia Leitte. I listened to a rough copy of it the other day and I don’t see it being bigger than any of the past attempts by Shakira or Ricky Martin’s “The Cup of Life”.

2014 is barely starting and one thing is certain, LATINOS ARE TAKING OVER !!