Completing Her Journey

06/02/1999 4:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Jeff Lorez

"You know, it's the same retarded stuff that people keep asking me about that can kind of get on my nerves," Jennifer Lopez informs me good-naturedly as we chat in her suite in the swanky Hotel Carlisle on New York's Upper West Side. She's referring to questions about her body and personal life, subject matter that she says "really has nothing to do with what I do." But, alas mention her name to most red-blooded American men under the age of 35 and chances are you'll find that her body is the first thing they'll mention, in particular the curvaceous Latina lines that have made the Bronx-born, 28-year-old Puerto Rican actress perhaps the pre-eminent newsstand cover girl over the last year.

The good news for Lopez is that she stands on the verge of true diva-dom, with a budding music career that could actually garner as much attention as has her voluptuous physique. The star of films such as Out Of Sight, Selena, and Anaconda has recorded a CD for Work/ Sony Music, titled On The 6, that seems set to elevate her into the rarefied ranks of all-around entertainer.

"I had an idea of the kind of music I wanted to make," she says of the recording, her subtle Bronx brogue peppering each syllable. "I didn't want to do a straight pop album or a straight R&B album. That's not me. I had to be true to myself, and it turned out to be a mix of urban, Latin, and pop influences."

Indeed, the collection--which features contributions from such disparate writers and producers as Rodney Jerkins (Brandy, Monica), the Trackmasters (Foxy Brown, Nas, R. Kelly), Puff Daddy (we didn't touch those rumors!), Rick Wake (Celine Dion), and Emilio Estefan (Gloria Estefan)--threatens to turn Lopez into a bigger household name than Black 'N' Decker. The only cover song on the disc is her take on Diana Ross's classic Ashford & Simpson-penned ballad, "Do You Know Where You're Going To (Theme From Mahogany)."

Covering the Supreme diva surely must have been an intimidating prospect. "It was," Lopez admits. "It took a long time to get it to where I felt comfortable with it, because it was such a classic. I feel like people from this generation don't know it; it's been 20 years. It was a good time to bring it back. We added a little Latin guitar and gave it another flavor. The other one is so transcendent. You don't try to top a cover--that's where a lot of people go wrong. You try to do it in your way."

Lopez, who is currently considering relocating from Los Angeles (where she has lived for the last six years) to Miami, is well aware that there are those who may doubt her musical ability before they've even heard a single note of her album, just as many singers are dismissed when they attempt to launch acting careers. For those who question her musical authenticity, she simply has this to say: "I was a singer and a dancer before I was even an actor, only people don't really know that. I've always been very musical. I started dancing when I was five, singing when I was 10. I didn't fall into acting, I studied acting and it so happened to be the thing that got you people to know me. I love to sing, so I see no reason why I can't do them both."