Christina Milian Opened up About Allegedly Feuding With Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez was thought to have rubbed Christina Milian the wrong way when she allegedly ripped off Milian’s record “Play.” Not too long ago, however, Milian would finally set the record straight on their reported rivalry.
Christina Milian explained how Jennifer Lopez ended up with ‘Play’
2001’s “Play” was Lopez’s hit record that featured on the singer’s second studio album J.Lo. The song enjoyed a few successes, eventually ending up on the 18th spot on Billboard’s Hot 100. It also won a Teen Choice Award. But originally, the song was Milian’s to sing.
Milian would also make her official debut in 2001 with the album Christina Milian, generating a buzz with the album’s single “AM to PM.” In an interview with Page Six, Milian described her process for writing “Play” all those years ago.
“I went to bed late that night, woke up the next morning and had to go to the studio. I had the track and I didn’t write anything [to it]. So I sat down in the bed, I had this track, I was really tired and I played the track and I was like —” she says, cutting herself short to hum the melody of the first verse,” she said. “And I was like, ‘This just sounds too easy.’ It was just too easy to write at that moment. I wrote the song in, like, 15 minutes and it was a joke to me because I had just started to become a writer.”
According to Milian, she made the decision to leave “Play” off of her debut album. She already had a party anthem with “AM to PM,” so she wasn’t sure she needed another one. Also, Lopez’s manager at the time Tommy Mottola, simply thought Lopez would be a good fit for “Play” when he heard it.
“The guy comes in and he hears ‘Play,’ loves it and is like, ‘I want this as her single,’” Milian recalled. “And the next thing I know, she’s in New York, she’s recording the song and I came in to help rewrite some of the stuff.”
In the end, however, Milian didn’t mind Lopez making “Play” her own.
“Hands down, she killed it. She’s so good. I love that song,” she said. “And I couldn’t believe at 19 years old I wrote a song for J.Lo.”
A few fans also took issue with Milian not being credited at all for “Play.” But Milian reassured this wasn’t something that concerned her.
“I don’t need a feature credit,” she said. “I’m on the credits for whatever nature, as a writer and for singing backgrounds. There is credit for that. I’m also just so happy that she did it because she’s an icon, she’s amazing.”
Christina Milian on meeting Jennifer Lopez
Milian noted that Lopez took a few creative liberties with the song. In an interview with Talk Stoop with Nessa, Milian noted that Lopez gave an edge to the song, which Milian appreciated.
“I like the fact that she added some spice to it,” Millian said.
While Lopez recorded the song, Milian would get the chance to meet Lopez in person, which was an experience in itself.
“We met when she went to record the records. I flew to New York, it was pretty cool. 19, being like, Meeting J.Lo? That’s pretty cool,” Milian remembered.
Lopez and Milian also shared that their meeting with each other was very casual considering they were celebrities.
“She was like, flawless. She came in, no makeup. Both of us were kind of like on some chill stuff. This is the days before the beauty con,” Milian said. “But she doesn’t need makeup, she’s fine.”
