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Jennifer Lopez recorded her second studio album, J.Lo, in roughly a quarter of the time that it took her to record her debut, On the 6. While Lopez is confident in her abilities, she grappled with uncertainty as she recorded her debut album. According to one of her producers, Lopez frequently needed reassurance while recording On the 6.

Jennifer Lopez had concerns about 1 of her albums

After establishing herself as an actor, Lopez began to focus on building a music career. She got her start in Hollywood as a dancer and said she missed that type of performance. At this point, Lopez had gained a significant level of popularity through her starring role in Selena. Still, she wasn’t sure she was making the right move with her music career.

“She changed drastically, in a good way, from the last record,” co-executive producer Cory Rooney told Rolling Stone of the process of recording J.Lo. “Last album, she had to be convinced, even eighty percent through, that she could do it.”

Rooney said Lopez was far more confident while recording her second album. It took far less time and she had already proven she could be a successful recording artist.

“On this one, she brought technique and control,” he said. “She knew how important it was to take time on certain songs and rest herself. She had her thing together — you’d’ve thought she’d been doing it all her life.”

Jennifer Lopez said the album reflected how she felt at that point in her life

Lopez wrote four songs for J.Lo. She said she wanted the album to reflect a turning point in her life.

“[It’s about] things I go through, things I see my friends go through: You get to a certain age and you start thinking about other things,” she said. “You start to wonder what your life is going to be. Is this how it’s going to be for the next ten years, or am I going to do something different? Am I going to settle down, or am I going to keep running wild for a while? A lot of that stuff is in there.”

She said she typically thinks of herself as a stronger actor than a singer

Lopez has released nine studio albums, played a Las Vegas residency, and toured the world. While she has had success that some can only dream of, she does not think music is where her primary talent lies. 

“I think I’m a really great performer,” she told Vanity Fair, adding, “I think I’m a really great actress. I feel confident in those things — that’s a better way to say it.”

Jennifer Lopez wears a black and white jacket with ruffles and feathers. She sings into a microphone.
Jennifer Lopez | Daniele Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images for Luisaviaroma
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She said that while she could put on a good show, she didn’t think her vocals could compete with other artists.

“I’m not as gifted a vocalist as some of the girls that are out there, but I know I communicate,” she said. “When I think of great vocalists, I think of Marc [Anthony], of Luther Vandross, of Whitney Houston. But Marc has helped me a lot with this; he always said I had a beautiful voice and that it was better than I thought it was.”