Jennifer Lopez is a name that is synonymous with being a triple threat. That was not always the case, however. In fact, the entertainer did not always envision becoming a singer. It was dancing and acting that was the Marry Me star's areas of focus. And given that Lopez had already reached high levels of success with her dancing career, the mid to late 1990s were when laser focus was put on achieving that same success with acting. A goal that became achievable with the release of Selena.
When Lopez was cast as the lead in Selena, the Hustlers star had to embody Selena Quintanilla-Perez. This meant from how she looked to how the singer performed on stage. An easy task for the veteran dancer. But it was part of the transformation of becoming Selena that sparked a desire to move outside of Lopez's comfort zone to want to become a singer. And while there were some who had doubts about this move, the Wedding Planner star made it her goal to make a name for herself in the music industry.
Because no one knew if Lopez could sing, convincing record companies and producers that she was bankable in the music arena was a hurdle. But with a fan base and growing global recognition on her side, Lopez succeeded in doing just that. And as a result, released an extremely successful debut album, much to critics' chagrin.
Here is information about whether Selena jump-started Jennifer Lopez's career as a pop star.
Jennifer Lopez Did Not Do Any Of The Singing In Selena
By transforming into Selena, it would make sense to assume that Lopez would not only be acting and dancing as part of her role but singing as well. However, this was not the case.
The only goal the Second Act star had when it came to performing Selena's songs was to be able to lip-sync proficiently.
Every time that Lopez performed as Selena, she was not singing. A fact that is a bit of a surprise for fans of the On the 6 singer, given the successful singing career she has had to date.
However, in the late 1990s, Lopez was just making a name for herself as an actor. And with Selena being her first big starring role, Lopez was cast only for her acting talent and a similar look to Selena. Because of this, recorded tracks were played when Lopez was "singing."
There was one time when Lopez's voice could be heard in the film's musical numbers, however. It was when the first three words to Como la Flor are sung to a large crowd in Monterrey, Mexico.
The "slower melody" that Lopez began the song in was enough to get The Boy Next Door star hooked on singing. And the rest is history.
'Selena' Inspired Jennifer Lopez To Become A Singer
By delving into who Selena was for her role, Lopez began to see the Tejano singer as a "mentor." And by learning all that Selena did to ultimately become very successful in the music industry during her short life, Lopez had a roadmap in front of her that just needed to be followed.
"It was a great thing for her to be my mentor, in a way, and to teach me so much about, yes, how to navigate this business, but also how to navigate through life," Lopez explained.
When asked if Lopez had "found her voice" from her time playing Selena, the answer was that she had. And it was through playing the role that The Mother star learned to "live in the moment."
"You have to seize the day," Lopez stated. "And so I decided after that movie to make my first record. And I did."
Having A Presence In The Entertainment World Helped Jennifer Lopez Promote Her Music
By the time Selena was released, Lopez had eight other films under her belt. And with each role becoming larger than the last, Lopez was able to use that fame to help promote her music in a way that others may not have been able to.
There was some question about whether the Enough star should put a pin in her acting career to pursue singing given that there was momentum building with Lopez's stardom. But as her manager shopped the idea of Lopez putting an album out proved to have interest, many worries were set aside. And work shortly began on On the 6.
Originally, Lopez wanted her debut album to be done in Spanish. But at the insistence of Tommy Mattola, an English album was released instead. And it proved to be the right move for Lopez to make at the time.
This is because between the interest of fans to see if she could sing, to the stage presence she had, and the relentless promotion of the album, Lopez's debut on the music scene proved to be a success.
So successful, in fact, that the album was an "immediate smash," solidifying Lopez as a bona fide singer. And it was then that the triple threat was born.
Jennifer Lopez Jumped Onto The Music Scene At The Right Time
On the 6 dropped in June 1999. And the timing of the release could not have been better. This is because the music industry was seeing a surge in interest in Latin music. As a result, Lopez was able to fit into both the Latin and pop categories of music with ease.
Ricky Martin first came on the scene in 1999 with Livin' La Via Loca. The song burned up the pop, Latin, and several other charts in a relatively short time. And as a result of this success, record companies were looking for artists who could have the same success Martin had.
Enter Lopez several months later. Not only did the desire to consume Latin music fuel her singing career, but catapulted several of the songs off On the 6 to go platinum and the album itself to go platinum eight times over.
If Lopez did not have the raw talent, she never would have been able to have a successful singing career. But having made a name for herself as an actress and dancer, and coming onto the music scene when cross-over music was hot did not hurt the trajectory for her success either. A level of success that may have never happened had Lopez never taken the role that required her to lip sync while acting in the film Selena.
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