FEATURE:
Second Spin
Jennifer Lopez - On the 6
__________
BECAUSE Jennifer Lopez recently married…
IN THIS PHOTO: Jennifer Lopez at her debut album release party in 1999/PHOTO CREDIT: Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
Ben Affleck in Las Vegas, I wanted to revisit her debut album. The reason is that it is one that did not get all the love it deserved first time around. The fact Lopez and Affleck were previously engaged and are now married has got me a bit nostalgic back to the 1990s. Lopez’s albums have never truly been embraced and accepted wholly by critics. There is no denying the fact that On the 6 is a superb introduction. Released on 1st June, 1999, this was an album that came towards the end of a magnificent decade. Many new about Lopez prior to the release of her debut album, but this was a full project where she could expand and build upon the promise of singles like If You Had My Love. It is no surprise that On the 6 was a chart success. As this amazing Latin/Pop artist mixing Spanish and English into her work, Lopez’s audience was large and adoring. It is a shame that critics wee not more on board with On the 6. If You Had My Love is the best track on the album, and maybe there were hoping for more songs the same. Singles Let’s Get Loud and Waiting for Tonight come close. But rather than look for an album of ready-made singles, On the 6 exploits and utilises Lopez’s full personality and range of expressions and sides. Deeper cuts like Should've Never and It's Not That Serious are just as interesting and listenable as the singles.
I am going to finish with a positive review of On the 6. It is interesting learning more about a hugely anticipated debut album. Maybe Lopez was seen more of a celebrity of rich artist trying to enter music. There was a lot of cynicism and criticism levied at her. Lopez proved that she was (and is) a serious artist with a talent and voice very much her own! Even if there are some talented and respected producers who contribute to 1999’s On the 6, t is Lopez’s captivating, sultry, powerful and versatile talent that makes every song come alive. In 2019, on its twentieth anniversary, Billboard looked back at On the 6 and spoke with some of the people involved with it, including Jenifer Lopez. There are a few parts from the feature that particularly caught my eye. I love what Lopez had to say about If You Had My Love:
“When former Fly Girl Jennifer Lopez decided she wanted to pursue a proper music career, she was just coming off her starring role as Selena Quintanilla-Pérez in the 1997 musical biopic Selena. But she faced plenty of skeptics — even after landing a record deal with Sony. “She wasn’t hearing it, though,” says longtime manager Benny Medina. “It would be like, wait a minute, don’t you understand? This is a girl that popped off In Living Color to become Selena — why would you ever second guess she couldn’t step out there and be J.Lo?”
Although some were wary, there were early believers – and influential ones. Once former Sony Music Entertainment chief executive Tommy Mottola heard her demo, he immediately brought her in to sign a contract. “I didn’t know what to ask for,” Lopez says now, speaking from a rehearsal in Los Angeles for her upcoming hits-filled It’s My Party summer tour (it kicks off at the Forum on June 7). “I was so young and clueless at the time, so I said, ‘I want an A-list deal like all the big stars,'” she recalls. “There’s something about being that young — there’s a little bit of ignorance that goes with it, because you don’t know what’s going to happen and so you have all these lofty ideas.”
Her naivete paid off. She inked a deal with Mottola at Sony, and her debut album, On the 6 — released 20 years ago this June 1 — was an immediate smash. “We had everybody who was anybody writing for the project,” says Mottola. “It was every great producer and hot writer at the time.”
That included songwriter and producer Rodney Jerkins, fresh off the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 smash “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy & Monica. “I didn’t sense any fear in her,” Jerkins recalls. “We knew that if we delivered the right song she could bring it home.”
And she did. J.Lo’s debut single “If You Had My Love” shot to No. 1 on the Hot 100 one month after its release and stayed on top for five weeks. It was also the No. 2 contender for Song of Summer in 1999, behind only Christina Aguilera’s “Genie In A Bottle.” “The whole experience was like a fairytale, watching the princess become a queen,” says “Love” co-writer and On the 6 co-executive producer Cory Rooney. “And I felt like her knight.”
“If You Had My Love” wasn’t the only hit off the album. Her Spanish-language duet with future husband Marc Anthony, “No Me Ames,” topped the Hot Latin Songs chart, and her club classic “Waiting for Tonight” hit the Hot 100’s top 10. On the 6 itself moved 1.9 million units in the U.S. in 1999, according to Nielsen Music, and has since sold another million. “[The album] showed us that Jennifer was going to go way past what our expectations were,” Mottola says. “She was relentless as a worker. Always on time, always pleasant, and unlike a lot of people, very grateful and thankful.”
“The combination of Jennifer Lopez and what was the Sony powerhouse machinery then and the quality of that music — it all hit the marks,” Medina says. “You felt it instantly. Every time she walked on a video set, it felt so magical. The truth of the matter is we’re in a business of magic, and that period in time and that group of people and the intensity and effort were magic. All the stars lined up.”
As for Lopez herself, there was never a doubt in her mind that it would work out. “I just followed my gut,” she says. “It is exactly what it was supposed to be for that moment. I’m proud of it and it set off an amazing journey for me musically that I’m still on today, and I couldn’t be more grateful”.
“If You Had My Love”
Sultry, confident yet vulnerable, the alluring “If You Had My Love” was Jennifer Lopez’s debut single, and a Hot 100 chart-topper. But before it established Lopez as a rising star to watch, the song’s writers almost accidentally gave it to the King of Pop.
Jerkins: [Mottola told me], “I have this artist who I believe will be a superstar really soon,” and he was looking for that breakthrough first single record. And me, at the time, it was like, “I get it. Let me go to the studio and create what I feel.” After studying a little bit and talking to him about it, and him playing me other songs she’d already recorded with Cory, I went into the studio and created. And myself and my team and Cory Rooney wrote this song called “If You Had My Love.”
Lopez: They would play me songs and I would say which ones I like. And luckily, I had an ear for good pop music. The minute I heard “If You Had My Love,” I knew, “I love that, I want to do that.” It was simple.
Jerkins: I started with the music first, because I wanted to make sure Tommy and everyone liked the music first. From what I understand, I wasn’t in that meeting, but the day I sent the track in to Tommy and Cory Rooney, they were in the office with Michael [Jackson].
Rooney: Michael’s listening to [various] tracks, and when he gets to that track I’m crossing my fingers going, “oh my god, I hope he doesn’t like it.” But instead – Rodney wasn’t in the room – but Michael starts going, “Oh, I like this one.” I’m glad because he likes it, but I felt it wasn’t a good Michael song — it was a great Jennifer song. So my heart is sinking. He goes, “Man, I like this one,” but then he looks at me, “But not for me! But man, this will be a great record for somebody.” And I just, I celebrated to myself quietly. Then we ran back to the studio, immediately, and LaShawn Daniels, he and I were in the studio, Jennifer met us that day, and we started putting together those lyrics.
Jerkins: It was always meant for Jennifer. It wasn’t meant for anyone else but Jennifer.
Mottola: We wanted everything to be perfect. I think we did a pretty good job.
Jerkins: It’s a song that forever will be played”.
A truly individual and impressive debut album from Jennifer Lopez, its singles are played on the radio a fair bit. Not many people talk about the album as a whole or explore many of the deeper cuts. I hope that changes. Albumism provided a retrospective take for On the 6 in 2019 too. Whereas many have given little credit and love to the ballads and slower numbers, Lopez is a very accomplished and eclectic singer. She gives her all to every song on her 1999 debut:
“Yet, On the 6 excels best when it embraces its composite pop ethos as heard on the electronica and Latin pop fusion of “Waiting for Tonight” or the quirky coalescence of bossa nova accents and light hip-hop rhythms on “Open Off My Love.”
Sweetly tuneful on these songs and throughout the mass of On the 6, Lopez acquits herself accordingly as a singer. In fact, it is a diverse clutch of downtempo compositions—“Should’ve Never,” “(Theme From Mahogany) Do You Know Where You’re Going To?,” and “No Me Ames”—that showcase Lopez’s charismatic and emotive vocal range.
Smooth, amorously charged, but ultimately understated, “Should’ve Never” is a canon highlight for Lopez that could have found wider visibility had it been elected as a single. Whereas “Should’ve Never” is an original cut, “(Theme from Mahogany) Do You Know Where You’re Going To?” and “No Me Ames” are audacious covers Lopez makes her own while remaining respectful to their roots. The former chart-topping selection was firstly rendered by soul icon Diana Ross in 1976 for her second feature film, Mahogany. Only included on the Japanese pressing of On the 6 as its concluding track, Lopez strips her version down and sparsely dresses it in Latin jazz and AC pop effects. Within this arrangement, Lopez’s sensitive reading is the focal point.
The latter track—“No Me Ames” (Don’t Love Me)—began as a duet (“Non Amarmi”) in 1993 courtesy of Italian vocalists Aleandro Baldi and Francesca Alotta. The selection came up in a friendly conversation between Lopez and powerhouse singer (and her eventual third husband) Marc Anthony as a suggestion to partner together on a rendition of the song for Lopez’s first set. She accepted Anthony’s offer and he subsequently assigned Ignacio Ballesteros to translate the lyrics from Italian to Spanish. Recorded in both ballad and uptempo configurations, Lopez and Anthony’s chemistry is obviously apparent on “No Me Ames.” Wildly popular when serviced as a single from On the 6, “No Me Ames” went on to receive two Latin Grammy nominations in 2000 for Best Pop Performance by a Duo/Group with Vocals and Best Music Video.
On June 1, 1999, On the 6 arrived in stores and Lopez was triumphant. Buoyed by its five singles—“If You Had My Love,” “No Me Ames,” “Waiting for Tonight,” “Feelin’ So Good,” and “Let’s Get Loud”—On the 6 instantly established Lopez as a competitive presence in popular music domestically and abroad. In total, On the 6 shifted over eight million copies worldwide and put Lopez on track to release eight more albums over two decades that have collectively moved over 80 million copies globally.
Today, Lopez’s pop culture permanence is so strong that one assumes that it wasn’t a risk for a promising young actress of color to try and branch into another vocation so vastly different than the one she occupied at the time. It was most certainly a risk, but Lopez’s commitment to her music led On the 6 to connect with audiences and level any barrier she might have encountered. Years later, people still love that vibrant enthusiasm contained within the contents of On the 6, an album that confirmed Lopez’s continued rise as a superstar of her own making”.
Prior to concluding, I wanted to highlight one of the positive reviews for On the 6. A lot of sites and sources gave it a three-star review and were a little mixed with their praise. I think that Jenifer Lopez’s debut is far stronger than many would have you believe. It still stands up in 2022. This is what AllMusic offered in their review for the brilliant On the 6:
“Jennifer Lopez's debut album, On the 6, showcases the actress' sultry, versatile voice in a number of settings, including pop ballads, Latin pop, and R&B. Star producers like Sean "Puffy" Combs, Trackmasters, and Emilio Estefan, Jr. lend their talents to the album, making On the 6 a perfectly polished and varied album, which features a musical blend Lopez calls "Latin soul." Smooth ballads such as "Should've Never," "Too Late," "Could This Be Love," and "No Me Ames," a duet with Latin superstar Marc Anthony, dominate the album's first half; while these songs show off the gentler side of Lopez's vocal gifts, they tend to sound too similar. It's on the R&B and Latin-tinged tracks where Lopez really shines. Along with the insistent first single "If You Had My Love," cuts like "Feelin' So Good" and "Let's Get Loud" have a fiery, soulful sound more in keeping with Lopez's public persona. On the 6's second half capitalizes on this spicy, upbeat side, particularly on "Waiting for Tonight" and "Open off My Love," which draws inspiration from rap, R&B, and Latin styles with its sparse arrangement of horns, keyboards, and beats. The tropical remix of "No Me Ames" and "Una Noche Mas," the Spanish version of "Waiting for Tonight," emphasize Lopez's distinctive heritage, which elevates On the 6 from a star's vanity project to an individual but accessible work of pop songcraft by a widely talented performer”.
Even if you are not a big fan of Jennifer Lopez’s music, I would urge you to give some time to her 1999 debut, On the 6. I think a lot of people have cast their mind back to her early career and relationships given her recent marriage to Ben Affleck. I do hope that Lopez’s music career has not ended. Her most recent album, A.K.A., was released in 2014. There would definitely be demand for a nineth studio album. I have been casting my mind back to 1999 and experiencing On the 6. I was aware of songs like If You Had My Love, and I was a little hesitant to buy and dive into the album. I am glad that I overcame that! Twenty-three years later, Jennifer Lopez’s On the 6 remains a…
BRILLIANT album.