On Saturday morning, Jennifer Lopez posted a new Reel to Instagram which seemingly announced upcoming visuals for her 2024 album This Is Me…Now. The clip begins with graphics reading, “HEAR IT. SEE IT. LIVE IT. SHARE IT,” over the color green, which is J.Lo’s “lucky” color and the same color as her engagement ring. There’s also an image of a hummingbird, which she has said is one of her favorite birds in the past.
It’s followed by a supercut of images of Lopez dancing in the rain, in a factory, and at a wedding, along with several other expansive set pieces reminiscent of a classical musical.
When it ends, there’s another message to fans: “THIS MUSICAL EXPERIENCE IS A MANIFESTATION, THROUGH MUSIC, FILM, AND REALITY, OF A LIFE’S JOURNEY ON THE SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE.”
The message is signed “Jennifer” and is then followed by a link to her website.
The new album is a follow up to her third album, This Is Me…Then, released 21 years ago. That album was reported to have a number of songs inspired by her relationship at the time with Ben Affleck. The pair were engaged before splitting and going on to marry other people. Affleck married actress Jennifer Garner, with whom he had three children, Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel. Lopez married singer Marc Anthony and they share twins, Max and Emme.
Fans were very surprised to hear that almost two decades later, Lopez and Affleck had reunited. They were married in the summer of 2022 and have gone on to co-mingle their family. The new album likely serves as a reflection on the journey back to one another, with Billboard reporting names of songs like “To Be Yours,” “Mad in Love,” and “Greatest Love Story Never Told,” plus “Dear Ben Pt. II.”
There’s also a song called “Midnight Train to Vegas,” which sure sounds like a reference to the couple’s surprise wedding in Las Vegas that was followed by a more formal ceremony on Affleck’s Georgia estate. This is Lopez’s first album in nine years, and she is clearly pulling out all the stops. Though it had been reported it would not be released until 2024, This Is Me…Then came out on November 25. The new Reel suggests Monday is a day to look out for, so it remains to be seen if it will be the full album or just some part of it.
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.