Singer, dancer, actress and entrepreneur Jennifer Lopez, 41, was raised in the Bronx, New York. She and her third husband, fellow Latin music star Marc Anthony, live in Los Angeles and are parents to three-year-old twins, Max and Emme.
Don’t give your heart away easily. I’ve had some great relationships and have never had a problem giving love. It was in the receiving of it that I had something to learn. If I could give my teenage self some advice, it would definitely be in the love area.
For sheer escapism, dancing is hard to beat. It is one of the greatest joys of my life. You know how it is when you’re at a party and some old Stevie or Michael or Madonna track comes on and instinctively you go, “I love this song!”? You just have to get up and lose yourself in moving to the music.
People thrive on challenges. I’m like, “Yeah, I can do that!” It’s how I’ve navigated my entire career.
The Bronx so formed who I am. I still feel myself to be the exact same person I was back then. I’m very nostalgic. When I’m in New York I love driving by my old neighbourhood.
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You should aspire to being good at something. Not just to being a celebrity. I never thought about being rich and famous when I was growing up. Yes, I wanted to be a singer and a dancer, but it was for the pure love of singing and dancing, nothing more.
Real emotions are what move me, not the fake kind. I don’t cry easily but that doesn’t mean I’m not a deep-feeling person. I am.
With hard work you can accomplish anything. That’s what my parents drilled into me, and they were right. Luckily, working hard is what I love to do.
Fame is a destructive thing. It can really hurt you if you don’t have a good grasp on who you are and what’s really important in life – like love, friends and family.
Time is precious. For so much of the day I’m surrounded by family or work colleagues. When I get the chance, I like to sit in silence with my thoughts. Or, even better, to switch off all thought and just “be” for a moment or two.
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Life is about wanting to be the best that you can be. Right from childhood, I’ve been competitive, especially with myself. I used to be very much into sports, winning a ton of trophies for track and field. Then, when I got into dance, I was always trying to get the big solo spot.
Having children changes your perspective on the world. It’s always been important to me to try to use my fame to highlight injustice or social issues, but now it’s even more so.
My husband and my manager have my best interests at heart. They are the two people I go to the most for counsel.
Too much too soon is not good. I feel like my success happened in exactly the way that God intended for me. I had to work really hard, paying my dues, being a good girl. And that’s what’s helped me stay on track.
It’s important to dream. How could I not be moved when kids stand before me, their hopes and dreams so clearly on display. [Lopez is a judge on the current season of American Idol.] They are often so nervous, they’re shaking. You can feel how badly they want the chance. It’s super-intense. I feel a lot of empathy and am rooting for each one of them.
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It’s the inner stuff that really counts. Everyone likes to look at a beautiful woman, a beautiful man. But for me it’s the essence of someone that’s really important. Are they self-confident? Do they like to laugh? Have they got a good heart?
The single On the Floor, by Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull, has just been released by Def Jam Records