Love? (album)
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''Love?'' is the seventh studio album by American singer Jennifer Lopez. It was released on April 29, 2011, by Island Records. Produced during the pregnancy of her twins Emme and Max, ''Love?'' was cited by Lopez as her most personal album to date, taking inspiration from the birth of her twins and her own experiences with love. Recording for the album began in 2009, with an original release date for the project set for January 2010 by Epic Records to coincide with Lopez's film ''
The Back-up Plan ''The Back-up Plan'' (previously known as ''Plan B'') is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Alan Poul, starring Jennifer Lopez and Alex O'Loughlin.Siegel, Tatiana, and Michael Fleming"Jennifer Lopez going with 'Plan B': CBS Films ...
''. However following the lack of success with lead single " Louboutins", Lopez and Epic Records parted ways, leaving the fate of ''Love?'' in uncertainty. In 2010, Lopez signed a new record deal with Island Records, allowing proceedings for the release to be kept. The album includes a mixture of previously recorded material which leaked online in 2009 and 2010 during recording sessions, along with new songs with
Tricky Stewart Christopher Alan "Tricky" Stewart (born January 4, 1974) is an American record producer, record executive, songwriter, and music publisher. In a career spanning over 30 years, Stewart has won 5 Grammys and is responsible for over 50 million rec ...
,
The-Dream Terius Youngdell Nash (born September 20, 1977), better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His co-writing credits include songs with "Me Against the Music" (2003) for Britney Spears, " Rid ...
and RedOne commissioned by Island Records. Primarily a dance-pop record, ''Love?'' also marks a return to Lopez's pop/ R&B roots. Upon its release, ''Love?'' garnered mixed reviews from music critics. While some were critical of it, others disagreed, praising it as a great dance album. Commercially, ''Love?'' debuted at number five on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, becoming her sixth album to peak within the top 10 in the United States, and her highest peak since 2005's ''
Rebirth Rebirth may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Film * ''Rebirth'' (2011 film), a 2011 Japanese drama film * ''Rebirth'' (2016 film), a 2016 American thriller film * ''Rebirth'', a documentary film produced by Project Rebirth * ''The Re ...
''. Internationally, ''Love?'' experienced moderate success, peaking within the top 10 in twenty-four different countries and also reaching the top five of several music markets. The album sold 353,000 copies in the United States. The album's first single under Island Records is "
On the Floor "On the Floor" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her seventh studio album, '' Love?'' (2011). Featuring American rapper Pitbull, it was released by Island Records on February 8, 2011, as the lead single from the album. ...
" and features
Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...
. It reached number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and topped over thirty international charts, while the second and third singles from ''Love?'', being "
I'm Into You "I'm Into You" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her seventh studio album '' Love?'' (2011). It features American rapper Lil Wayne, who also co-wrote it alongside British singer-songwriter Taio Cruz and Norwegian musician ...
" featuring rapper
Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...
and " Papi", both topped the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Songs, each becoming moderate hits. ''Love?'' has become her third consecutive album to have all singles reach number one on that chart, earning her a milestone for eleven number ones at the time tying her with Katy Perry and
Kristine W Kristine Elizabeth Weitz, widely known by her stage name Kristine W, is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and entrepreneur. She is most widely known as a dance music artist. Born and raised in Pasco, Washington, she found ear ...
.


Background

''Love?'' follows the footsteps of her least commercially successful album, '' Brave'' (2007), which just missed the top ten of the US ''Billboard'' 200, at position 12. Its beginnings date from late 2007 and early 2008, during Lopez's pregnancy with twins Emme and Max. While pregnant, and while at home after pregnancy, Lopez had been working on new music for future projects. In February 2009, a new song from those recording sessions titled "Hooked on You" leaked online. Lopez would address the leak on her official website in May 2009, where she said "I'm always excited about my music and this Hooked on You"is one of a few tracks I'm currently working on. I'm flattered by everyone's interest in the track and really excited for you to hear the real thing..." Songwriter
Wynter Gordon Diana Gordon, previously known by her stage name Wynter Gordon, is an American singer and songwriter. She began her career writing music for other artists, later signing with Atlantic Records where she started to work on her own album. Her deb ...
also addressed another leak from the album, a song that Gordon wrote called "What Is Love". In a personal blog through her official MySpace page, Gordon expressed her discontent that an unfinished, unmastered version of "What Is Love" had been leaked through the Internet. "I wrote this song from a deep place in my heart. If the world was gonna hear it, I wanted them to hear it right... It's as good as gone to me now... The story was given a Lifetime TV special instead of a movie... sad." Gordon did note that she was dissatisfied with the circumstances but was in "no way dissing Lopez." The following month Lopez told MTV's Larry Carol that she was keen to finish the album and several singles, with a potential release date for the end of 2009. In February 2010, Lopez left
Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...
(and Epic Records) by mutual consent. Her departure from the label temporarily halted production on the album. However upon signing a new contract with
Island Def Jam Music Group The Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) was an American recording music unit, formed on New Year's Eve 1998 by the Universal Music Group. It consists of labels devised and consisted under the basic operations of Island Records and Def Jam Recordin ...
, recording resumed on the album, and Lopez entered the studio with
Kuk Harrell Thaddis Laphonia "Kuk" Harrell ( ) is an American songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and engineer. He was a member of a songwriting–production team composed of himself, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash. In 2011, Kuk ...
to record brand new material for the disc. The '' New York Daily News'' revealed that Lopez would be taking some of the records recorded under Sony Music to her new label so that they could be included on the album. She said "stuff I'd been performing will be on the album as will previously released dance cuts." According to the paper,
Island Def Jam The Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) was an American recording music unit, formed on New Year's Eve 1998 by the Universal Music Group. It consists of labels devised and consisted under the basic operations of Island Records and Def Jam Recordin ...
would also release a remix disc alongside the album. AOL's music entertainment site, PopEater, later reported that Epic Records had actually shelved ''Love?'' and never committed to releasing the album, although this was never confirmed by Lopez, Epic or Island Def Jam. In February 2011, Lopez told
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
that the album was nearly complete. She had around twenty songs recorded from 2009–2011 which were being considered for the album, but she was finding it hard to edit the final track listing. "I'm very proud of the album; it's so hard to edit it because I have recorded maybe 20 songs and of course I'm not going to put 20 songs on an album, so to cut out eight to ten of those... it's breaking my heart." Lopez credits ''Love?'' as her best album to date because on it she recorded her "best vocals". RedOne and Lopez's new label boss, Antonio "L.A." Reid served as executive producers on the album.


Recording and production

While on set filming for ''
The Back-up Plan ''The Back-up Plan'' (previously known as ''Plan B'') is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Alan Poul, starring Jennifer Lopez and Alex O'Loughlin.Siegel, Tatiana, and Michael Fleming"Jennifer Lopez going with 'Plan B': CBS Films ...
'' in June 2009, Lopez revealed to MTV's Larry Carol that she had been working on the follow-up album to 2007's '' Brave''. She had been working on the album during pregnancy, but it was not until the birth of her twins, Max and Emme, that she was able to focus on the project. Carol asked about the direction of the album, but Lopez refused to comment, instead saying "You can't help but put not only your kids into it, but to put anything you are going through in your music. ..The only thing you can really sing or write is stuff that you know. The more music you make and the more that you get into it and the more you write, the more you realize that's all you can write." At the time of the interview, two of the album's songs had leaked. The first, titled "(What Is) Love?", was written by
Wynter Gordon Diana Gordon, previously known by her stage name Wynter Gordon, is an American singer and songwriter. She began her career writing music for other artists, later signing with Atlantic Records where she started to work on her own album. Her deb ...
and co-written and produced by Emile Dernst II (D'Mile). After expressing dismay at the song's leak, its writer (Wynter Gordon) spoke of why the song was very personal to her: " hat Is Love is aboutnot knowing what love is ...I felt like so many woman have that same story. No fathers, families, abusive boyfriends and husbands..no parental support, they feel alone .. I've had my few relationships and have yet to feel love ." Jean Baptist produced a 'part-two' for the song, which was mentioned at one of the album pre-release parties, attended by '' Rap-Up'' magazine, however the second part of the song was omitted from the track listing. The original version of the song, under the title "What Is Love", was included on the soundtrack to the 2010 film, ''The Back-up Plan'', starring Lopez. Gordon also wrote "Starting Over" for the album with help from Marcella Araica and Nathaniel Hills (Danja), who also produced the song. Over a "fast-paced, galloping beat", Lopez describes the hardships of "getting back in the game after a breakup." According to the album credits, this is the only song with credited live instruments. The third song written by Gordon is called "Everybody's Girl", co-written by
Mike Caren Michael Caren is an American record producer, songwriter, music publisher, A&R representative, and music executive. He is the current CEO (and founder) of Artist Partner Group and Creative Officer at Warner Music Group. He is also the founder o ...
, Shep Crawford and Ollie Goldstein. The lyrics in this song speak of whether the female protagonist's man can love her "under the intense glare of the spotlight", over an up-tempo production. The other, aforementioned leaked song, "One Love", was written by Lopez, Antea Birchett, Anesha Birchett and Dernst II, as a tribute to her past relationships. Lopez references her famous lovers from the past,
Sean Combs Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...
("Took a shot with the bad boy from the block"), backup dancer Cris Judd ("We danced until we said 'I do'"),
Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS education ...
("Came and swept me off my feet, went nowhere but kept the ring"), and Marc Anthony ("Number four, you sang to me, but I'm not sure ... Made me want to try once more and I couldn't say no"). The Birchett sisters also worked with Muhammed Kateeb and Otis Greyson to write the third leaked song, "Hooked on You". Danja also produced two other songs for the album, "Love and War" (also written by the Birchett sisters) and "Keeper". The latter bears some resemblance to T.I.'s " Hell of a Life" (2009) which was also produced by Danja. It also follows in the same vein as "One Love" with lyrics that focus on Lopez searching for and then finding Mr. Right. While "Starting Over" and "One Love" both made the album, Danja's other two productions did not. Meanwhile, Caren and Chris Sernal respectively produced and wrote the
guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
-driven ballad "Beautiful", which according to ''Rap-Up'', is resemblant of production work by
Ryan Tedder Ryan Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As well as being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic, he has an independent career as a songwriter and producer for various artists since th ...
. Lopez also worked with Pharrell Williams and his production outfit
The Neptunes The Neptunes are an American songwriting and production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provides additional vocals on records and appears in the duo's music videos ...
on the album. One record they produced, " Fresh Out the Oven" was written by Williams,
Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...
, Lopez and Amanda Ghost. It also features additional vocals from Pitbull, but was only ever intended to be a fun record that was leaked by Epic Records and promoted in US night clubs. Neither track made the final track listing. However, not all of Lopez's collaborators were new. She reunited with longtime collaborator, Rodney Jerkins (Darkchild) who has worked with Lopez numerous times in the past. Darkchild produced "This Cannot Be Love", although the song did not make the final track listing for ''Love?'' It has similar introductory chords to " The Boy Is Mine" (1998) by
Brandy Norwood Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979), better known by her mononym Brandy, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and model. She is known for her distinctive sound, characterized by her peculiar timbre, voice-layer ...
and Monica. "This Cannot Be Love" has a progressive uptempo melody which continues to gather pace over the course of the song, while in the lyrics Lopez "asks if true love exists." When asked what inspired some of the album's records, Lopez told '' The Advocate'', that whenever she records a new album she always thinks of dance music as it is popular in the gay community and club cultures. She said songs like "This Cannot Be Love"have musicality similar to her worldwide hit, "
Waiting for Tonight "Waiting for Tonight" is a song written by Maria Christensen, Michael Garvin, and Phil Temple. It was originally recorded by Christensen's girl group 3rd Party for their debut studio album, ''Alive (3rd Party album), Alive'' (1997). Two years ...
" (1999), which was well received by the
LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...
community. " his Cannot Be Lovetalks about the idea of getting lazy in love. You know how we do that? When you're with somebody and you're like: Wait a minute — remember when we were so in love and obsessed with each other? What happened?" Lopez also worked with Norwegian producers, StarGate on a personal song called "Story of My Life", and the album's second single "I'm Into You". While the former does not feature on the album, the latter is an Island-flavoured mid-tempo song, co-written by
Taio Cruz Jacob Taio Cruz (; born Adetayo Ayowale Onile-Ere, 23 April 1980), better known professionally as Taio Cruz (stylized TΛIO CRUZ), is an English singer, songwriter and record producer from London, England, currently based in Los Angeles. In 200 ...
and featuring guest vocals from
Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...
. Other major producers on the album include Christopher "Tricky Stewart" and
The-Dream Terius Youngdell Nash (born September 20, 1977), better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His co-writing credits include songs with "Me Against the Music" (2003) for Britney Spears, " Rid ...
, who produced the album's Epic Records lead single, " Louboutins". The song was initially produced and written by Stewart and The-Dream for Brandy Norwood, but following Norwood's departure from Epic Records it was subsequently given to Lopez. The song, backed with strong synths and
trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
s "tells the story of a woman stuck in a dead-end relationship with a man who clearly doesn't deserve her, and with her journey to realizing that and eventually walking out on him", and her frustration that her man is not 100% committed. "Louboutins" topped the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart but did not garner any airplay. Furthermore, critics gave the song mixed reviews, calling the lyrical content "boring", "dated" and "poo", although some did appreciate that the song was "catchy" and had some club appeal to it. It was excluded from the final track listing. Other songs recorded with Stewart and The-Dream include "Run the World" which initially featured Rick Ross and The-Dream, but the final version of the song removed both featured artists. It was tipped by Lopez to be a potential summer single.''The Breakfast Club'' Power 105.1 Aired February 4, 2011. Another song produced by the duo was "Good Hit", initially lined up as a buzz single. MTV's Chris Ryan described it as having a slick dance beat over which "Lopez sings about dropping it low in a voice coated with the much-maligned but incredibly popular vocal filter." In November 2009, Stewart told ''
Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...
'' that his and The-Dream's fellow production associate
Kuk Harrell Thaddis Laphonia "Kuk" Harrell ( ) is an American songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and engineer. He was a member of a songwriting–production team composed of himself, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash. In 2011, Kuk ...
, would be producing a lot of the album. He said "I heard him working on some of the vocals and she has a lot of really good songs, I will say that. The stuff I heard was really good, really strong." Following Lopez's move to Island Def Jam, Lopez re-entered the studio to record new material with Harrell. Lopez later revealed that most of the album had been revamped and most production was now courtesy of Stewart and The-Dream despite recording several new songs with Moroccan producer RedOne, which made the album. Amongst those recorded with RedOne is the
Latin music Latin music ( Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Spain and Portugal) and the Latino United States inspired by Latin Amer ...
-influenced "On the Floor" which features Pitbull and a sample from
Kaoma Kaoma was a French-Brazilian band formed in 1988 by Loalwa Braz (lead vocals), Chyco Dru (bass), Jacky Arconte (guitar), Jean-Claude Bonaventure (keyboard), Michel Abihssira (drums and percussion) and Fania (backing vocals). Dru is from Martini ...
's 1989 hit single "
Lambada Lambada () is a dance from State of Pará, Brazil. The dance became internationally popular in the 1980s, especially in the Philippines, Latin America and Caribbean countries. It has adopted aspects of dances such as forró, salsa, merengue, ...
". Two other RedOne songs, co-written and co-produced by
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
, "Invading My Mind" and "Hypnotico", also appear on ''Love?'' "Hypnotico" was originally recorded by recording artist
Tami Chynn Tammar Annika Chin (born 14 June 1983), known by her stage name Tami Chynn, is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and dancer. Early life Chynn was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Her father, Richard Chin, is of Jamaican and Chinese descent and her mother ...
for her unreleased second album. Meanwhile, Lopez told fans in March 2011 that she recorded some of the album's songs in Spanish. ''Rap-Up'' revealed that the album was to also feature production from producer Troy "Radio" Johnson.


Title, concept and cover

Lopez revealed to MTV that the album would have a very tight and focused concept. Although in initial interviews she refused to reveal the title or concept, she said the album was personal to her. "You can't help but put not only your kids into it, but to put anything you are going through in your music", she said. " e only thing you can really sing or write is stuff that you know. The more music you make and the more that you get into it and the more you write, the more you realize that's all you can write." In October 2009, ''
People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...
'' magazine revealed that Lopez's album was going to be called ''Love?''. She would tell KIIS FM's DJ Skee that she had chosen to call her album ''Love?'' because love was something that still confused her. "Love is the most confusing thing in the world, that's why the album is called ''Love'' with a question mark." Lopez told '' The Advocate''s Brandon Voss that she also took into account the gay community and how they might feel towards the album. She said all her previous albums had a universal appeal and the
LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...
community had played a part in the success of her music in the past, e.g. "
Waiting for Tonight "Waiting for Tonight" is a song written by Maria Christensen, Michael Garvin, and Phil Temple. It was originally recorded by Christensen's girl group 3rd Party for their debut studio album, ''Alive (3rd Party album), Alive'' (1997). Two years ...
" (1999). During interviews with one of her official fansites, Lopez also revealed that fans could expect a mixture of musical styles like her previous albums. "Expect pop records, R&B and a little hip hop." When ''Billboard'' previewed the album in January 2010, Ben-Yehuda Ayala said "Lopez sings, talk-sings and broods (within pop reason) on the subject of love," while ''Rap-Up'' said it is very much in keeping with the title, "a love roller coaster, taking you through the ups and downs of a relationship." Following her move to Island Def Jam, Lopez said she would still be pressing ahead with the album under the title ''Love?''. "I just feel like it's an endlessly fascinating topic that all my albums have been about. It's still very confusing to me and so I explore that on this album, probably more than my other albums." She also revealed that her husband Marc Anthony initially disapproved of the title because he felt that it may imply that the couple were having marital problems. However in interviews with DJ Skee, she said "love has always been a theme of my career and this record wasn't going to be different. The album has a lot of up-tempo, dancy, urban tracks." The album cover for ''Love?'' was revealed on Barbara Walters' ''10 Most Fascinating People of 2010'', which aired December 11, 2010. On the cover, Lopez is adorned with diamonds "and a fur coat as she looks into the distance." Robbie Daw from
Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...
joked that "from the look of things, it seems as if Miss Lopez's hair is having a close encounter of the third kind on the cover. Or maybe that's just her natural glow when she's up in the morning making flapjacks for the kids?" The deluxe edition, which features sixteen tracks as opposed to twelve on the standard edition, features the same cover as the standard edition except the background and text is tinged blue instead of pink.


Release and label change

In July 2009, a spokesperson for Lopez told ''
People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...
'' magazine that Lopez was not replacing Paula Abdul on the eighth season of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' because she would be busy promoting her film, ''
The Back-up Plan ''The Back-up Plan'' (previously known as ''Plan B'') is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Alan Poul, starring Jennifer Lopez and Alex O'Loughlin.Siegel, Tatiana, and Michael Fleming"Jennifer Lopez going with 'Plan B': CBS Films ...
'' as well as her new album. Both projects were slated for a January 2010 release, despite Lopez previously stating that she was aiming for the end of 2009. However during an interview with ''KTU Mornings'', Lopez revealed that both the album and film were being pushed back to April 2010. '' Rap-Up'' magazine would later confirm that the album and film were being released together in
cross-promotion Cross-promotion is a form of marketing promotion where customers of one product or service are targeted with promotion of a related product. A typical example is cross-media marketing of a brand; for example, Oprah Winfrey's promotion on her televi ...
of each other. However this date appeared unlikely when, backstage at the
52nd Grammy Awards The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares P ...
ceremony, she said "I'm working on my album that will be out... hopefully this year, we'll see if I get it done... You know how it is, you go in your there non-stop, you leave it alone for a minute and you come back – you're like, okay, this is what I need." On February 22, 2010, it was announced that Lopez had parted ways with Epic Records, leaving the fate of the album in jeopardy. The initial press release from Lopez's manager
Benny Medina Benny Medina (born January 24, 1958) is an American record executive, talent manager, and television producer. Early life and education Medina was born in East Los Angeles, California, of Dominican parents into a poor family. The death of hi ...
said: "Jennifer had a wonderful relationship with the
Sony Music Group Sony Entertainment, Inc. is an American entertainment company established in 2012. It focuses on most of Sony's motion picture, television and music businesses. It is a subsidiary of the Japanese Sony Group Corporation, managed by Sony's Americ ...
, and they have shared many successes together, but the time was right to make a change that best serves the direction of her career as an actress and recording artist, she is grateful and appreciative to everyone at Sony for all that they accomplished together". That same day, Lopez's representative confirmed the news to ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' and revealed that Lopez was negotiating a deal with several other labels. Lopez herself confirmed the split and announced that she had found a new label and that the album would be released in the summer of 2010, "I have fulfilled my contractual responsibilities with Sony/Epic up to this point, and we have both reached friendly terms about my departure from the label. I'm also happy to say that we've found a new home for my album, 'Love,' and that it is slated for release in the summer of 2010." ''Billboard'' magazine would later go on to confirm that Lopez had signed to
Def Jam Records Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...
and that the album was now due in Summer 2011. According to ''Rap-Up'' magazine, the album was to be released on March 29, 2011. Just several weeks after the first announcement, ''Rap-Up'' announced that the album had been pushed back to April 19, 2011. No reason was given for the new date. This conflicted with comments made by Lopez during an online chat with her fans. On March 13, 2011, Lopez said that the album was most likely to come out at the end of May 2011 after at least one more single had been released. A final release date of May 3, 2011, in the United States was later confirmed.


Promotion

The promotional campaign for ''Love?'' began with the song " Fresh Out the Oven" featuring
Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...
. The song was leaked by Epic Records in 2009, and promoted to US nightclubs as a "fun record". It would go on to top the US
Dance/Club Play Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...
chart. In November 2009, Lopez premiered the album's
lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...
, " Louboutins" at the
2009 American Music Awards The 37th Annual American Music Awards took place on November 22, 2009 at the Microsoft Theater, Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California. The nominees were announced on October 13, 2009. For the first time in history, there was no host f ...
. The performance gained notoriety for an unchoreographed fall in the middle of the dance routine. Lopez was praised for her swift recovery and continuation of the performance. Lopez reprised the performance on ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pro ...
'' on December 3, 2009, where she also laughed and joked about the incident. She was also booked to perform on the season six finale of ''
So You Think You Can Dance ''So You Think You Can Dance'' is a franchise of reality television shows in which contestants compete in dance. The first series of the franchise, created by '' Idols'' producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe, premiered in July 2005 and ha ...
'' on December 16, 2009. The performance took on a holiday theme and was choreographed by the show's team. Her final performance of the year came on December 31, 2009, where Lopez performed "Louboutins" along with a medley of her previous hits "
Waiting for Tonight "Waiting for Tonight" is a song written by Maria Christensen, Michael Garvin, and Phil Temple. It was originally recorded by Christensen's girl group 3rd Party for their debut studio album, ''Alive (3rd Party album), Alive'' (1997). Two years ...
" and " Let's Get Loud" at ''
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest ''Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve'' (''NYRE'') is an annual New Year's Eve television special broadcast by ABC. The special broadcasts primarily from New York City's Times Square and prominently features coverage of its annual ball drop ev ...
''. Lopez's choice of outfit, a shimmering skin-tight cat-suit, received attention from the media with the '' New York Daily News'' praising her for her "flawless physique". On January 18, 2010, on the talk show ''
Lopez Tonight ''Lopez Tonight'' is an American late-night television talk show that was hosted by the comedian George Lopez. The hour-long program premiered on November 9, 2009, on cable network TBS. Lopez was the first Mexican-American to host a late-nig ...
'', Lopez appeared in place of George Lopez and opened the show with a ten-minute comedy set. George Lopez appeared after she finished to continue with the show and announced that Jennifer would be back in several weeks with a live band to perform. On February 19, 2010, Lopez performed at the 60th annual Sanremo Music Festival in Sanremo, Italy. She performed a medley of her chart-topping hits, as well as " (What Is) Love?", introducing it as the lead single from the soundtrack of her then-upcoming movie ''
The Back-up Plan ''The Back-up Plan'' (previously known as ''Plan B'') is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Alan Poul, starring Jennifer Lopez and Alex O'Loughlin.Siegel, Tatiana, and Michael Fleming"Jennifer Lopez going with 'Plan B': CBS Films ...
''. On February 27, 2010, Lopez performed and hosted an episode of ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
''. She performed two new songs: "Pieces" and "Starting Over", although it was later confirmed that the first song Lopez performed was actually called "Until It Beats No More", and not "Pieces" as reported. On January 16, 2011, a trailer for a new promotional single, "Good Hit", was released. In the video Lopez assumes the role of a teacher to lead a classroom of beauty school students. It was directed by Alex Moors back in October 2010, back to back with another song called "Take Care". It is ''Love?''s second promotional single after "Fresh Out the Oven" with Pitbull (2009). The debut of the album's first official single, "
On the Floor "On the Floor" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her seventh studio album, '' Love?'' (2011). Featuring American rapper Pitbull, it was released by Island Records on February 8, 2011, as the lead single from the album. ...
" with Pitbull, was timed to coincide with the premier of Lopez's
L'Oréal L'Oréal S.A. () is a French personal care company headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine with a registered office in Paris. It is the world's largest cosmetics company and has developed activities in the field concentrating on hair color, ...
hair commercial during the
68th Golden Globe Awards The 68th Golden Globe Awards were broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 16, 2011, by NBC. The host was Ricky Gervais. The nominations were announced on December 14, 2010, by Josh Duhamel, Katie Holmes ...
ceremony and her debut as a full-time judge on season ten of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
''. Several more promotional singles preceded the album's release, which were all exclusively released through the
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
. On March 22, 2011, the Spanish version of "On the Floor", titled "Ven a Bailar", was released followed by "
I'm Into You "I'm Into You" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her seventh studio album '' Love?'' (2011). It features American rapper Lil Wayne, who also co-wrote it alongside British singer-songwriter Taio Cruz and Norwegian musician ...
" on April 2, "Papi" on April 17 and "(What Is) Love?" on April 23, 2011. "
I'm Into You "I'm Into You" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her seventh studio album '' Love?'' (2011). It features American rapper Lil Wayne, who also co-wrote it alongside British singer-songwriter Taio Cruz and Norwegian musician ...
" was subsequently confirmed as the album's official second single. "Papi" debuted in Finland at number nine, Spain at number eighteen,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
at number sixty-five and the US at number ninety-nine.


Singles

On December 21, 2009, when the album was due for release under Epic Records, a song titled " Louboutins" was released as ''Love?''s first single. Despite being promoted with several live performances, the song was declared a commercial failure after failing to garner US airplay, although it did top the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. It was one of the contributing factors to Lopez leaving Epic Records. The album's first single under Island Records is "On the Floor". The uptempo dance song features rapper
Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...
along with a sample of
Kaoma Kaoma was a French-Brazilian band formed in 1988 by Loalwa Braz (lead vocals), Chyco Dru (bass), Jacky Arconte (guitar), Jean-Claude Bonaventure (keyboard), Michel Abihssira (drums and percussion) and Fania (backing vocals). Dru is from Martini ...
's 1989 hit single "
Lambada Lambada () is a dance from State of Pará, Brazil. The dance became internationally popular in the 1980s, especially in the Philippines, Latin America and Caribbean countries. It has adopted aspects of dances such as forró, salsa, merengue, ...
", and elements of house and
Latin music Latin music ( Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Spain and Portugal) and the Latino United States inspired by Latin Amer ...
. It was sent to
mainstream Mainstream may refer to: Film * ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film Literature * ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine * Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher * ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso Mu ...
radio on February 8, 2011, and was first released for digital download as a remix EP on February 11. The standard version was released on February 18. The song was well received by critics who compared it to Lopez's 1999 debut single "
If You Had My Love "If You Had My Love" is the debut single by American actress and singer Jennifer Lopez. It was released on May 4, 1999, as the lead single from her debut studio album, ''On the 6'' (1999). The song was written by LaShawn Daniels, Cory Rooney, Je ...
", and her
millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...
hit single "
Waiting for Tonight "Waiting for Tonight" is a song written by Maria Christensen, Michael Garvin, and Phil Temple. It was originally recorded by Christensen's girl group 3rd Party for their debut studio album, ''Alive (3rd Party album), Alive'' (1997). Two years ...
". It is the first single from ''Love?'' to receive recognition on the US ''Billboard'' charts, after the Epic Records' buzz single, "Fresh Out the Oven" (also featuring Pitbull), and previous lead single, "Louboutins", both failed to receive any airplay. The single reached the top five in most countries around the world, including reaching number one in eighteen countries. In the UK, it reached number one, giving Lopez her third number one single in the UK and first since 2005's "
Get Right Christopher Alesund (born 29 May 1990), better known as GeT_RiGhT, is a Swedish ''Counter-Strike'' player who is currently a streamer for Dignitas. During his time as a member of Ninjas in Pyjamas, he was considered one of the best ''Counter-St ...
". During an online chat with fans in March 2011, Lopez revealed that she was considering releasing "I'm Into You", featuring her favorite male rapper,
Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...
, as the album's next single. The song was released in many countries on April 1, 2011. "I'm Into You" was also used in a promotional campaign in the US and Canada on Lopez's official
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
page. If enough fans "liked" the song, then it would be unlocked for early purchase on the
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
. On April 1, the song was released to iTunes, four days earlier than planned for those markets. A music video for the single began production on April 2, 2011. The video aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's ''
The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It ...
'' on May 2, 2011. " Papi" was released as the third single It impacted U.S. Top 40/Mainstream and Rhythmic radio on September 27, 2011 and was released in the UK on October 31, 2011.


Critical reception

The album received mixed reviews from critics. At
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 46, based on nine reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews". Stephen Thomas Erlewine, editor at the music website
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
, gave a mixed review for the album, commenting that "Lopez was never, ever about singing" and referring to the album as "high-sheen wallpaper, so flimsy that it peels away immediately after application." Adam Markovitz from ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' commented that "despite the star power she emits on screen, her vocals have always been less than stellar" and that she "often sounds limited and nasal, with a flatness that can feel downright
Rebecca Black Rebecca Renee Black (born June 21, 1997) is an American singer and YouTuber. She gained extensive media coverage when the music video for her 2011 single "Friday" went viral on YouTube and other social media sites. "Friday" was derided by many ...
-esque at its worst." However, Ian Drew from ''
US Magazine ''Us Weekly'' is a weekly celebrity and entertainment magazine based in New York City. ''Us Weekly'' was founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986, and sold to American Media Inc ...
'' awarded the album three out of five stars, praising Lopez for returning "to her dance-diva-from-the-block roots." In his review, Drew concluded that "all in all, when it comes to her day job, J. Lo is solidly still in business." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine gave the album three out of five stars, saying that: "''Love?'' isn't the all-out dance album it could—and should—have been." Cinquemani also saw that: "the album's urban-leaning midtempo tracks feel oddly dated, like leftovers from an album recorded in a pre-
Gaga Gaga ( he, גע גע literally 'touch touch') (also: ga-ga, gaga ball, or ga-ga ball) is a variant of dodgeball that is played in a gaga "pit". The game combines dodging, striking, running, and jumping, with the objective of being the last perso ...
world." Hermione Hoby from ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...
'' gave the album a mixed review, saying that Lopez "ends her four-year recording hiatus with a load of turbo-produced bangers." However, Hoby was not impressed with the lyrics, commenting that they let the album down. "The only thing impeding dancefloor abandon is the hilarity of the record's lyrics." Alex Macpherson from
BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...
gave a favorable review for the album. He said that Lopez "possesses both a lightness of touch and the effortless confidence of one of nature's own divas, which means that whenever she hits the floor to essay up-tempo swagger tracks she convinces without being as overbearing." MacPherson also felt that "''Love?'' seeks to showcase her vulnerability and depth of feeling." The ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' was critical of the album, rating it one-and-a-half out of four stars, and referring to it as "a limp, personality-free dance-pop collection with plenty of A-list collaborations (
Tricky Stewart Christopher Alan "Tricky" Stewart (born January 4, 1974) is an American record producer, record executive, songwriter, and music publisher. In a career spanning over 30 years, Stewart has won 5 Grammys and is responsible for over 50 million rec ...
, RedOne,
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
) but none of the lightweight charm she once brought in hits like '
Waiting for Tonight "Waiting for Tonight" is a song written by Maria Christensen, Michael Garvin, and Phil Temple. It was originally recorded by Christensen's girl group 3rd Party for their debut studio album, ''Alive (3rd Party album), Alive'' (1997). Two years ...
' and '
Jenny from the Block "Jenny from the Block" is a song by American singer Jennifer Lopez, which features American rappers Jadakiss and Styles P, both members of The LOX. It was released by Epic Records on September 26, 2002, as the lead single from her third studio ...
'." Jody Rosen from ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' rated it two stars out of five and said that: "''Love?'' arrives with shiny production credits, but it's undone by J.Lo's slight voice and slighter personality." Robert Copsey from the entertainment website Digital Spy gave a more favorable review for the album, rating it three stars and stating that: "As a comeback album, ''Love?'' does the job perfectly – hauling an almost-forgotten Lopez back into chart relevance with a collection of calculated, safe and bang-on-trend tunes that were constructed for radio and clubs alike." At ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...
'', Elysa Gardner rated it two stars out of four, writing that the release "suffers from such a lack of personality." Pop Crush was more positive with its track by track review pointing "I'm Into You", "Run The World", "Until It Beats No More" and "Hypnotico" as standout tracks.


Commercial performance

''Love?'' debuted at number five on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 83,000 copies in its first week. In its second week, the album dropped to number nine, selling 33,000 copies. In its third week, the album dropped to number 18, selling 18,000 copies. In the fourth week, the album slipped only one slot to number 19 with 16,000 copies. The following week, it fell to number 38, selling 12,000 copies. In its first month of sales, ''Love?'' sold 138,400 copies. As of July 2020, ''Love?'' had sold 353,000 copies in the US. Elsewhere, ''Love?'' performed decently. The album debuted at number 11 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart, becoming her highest debut since 2005's ''
Rebirth Rebirth may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Film * ''Rebirth'' (2011 film), a 2011 Japanese drama film * ''Rebirth'' (2016 film), a 2016 American thriller film * ''Rebirth'', a documentary film produced by Project Rebirth * ''The Re ...
'', which peaked at number 10. Later, the album jumped to number nine, becoming her highest peaking album on the Australian charts since 2001's ''
J.Lo Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
''. The album spent eight weeks on the charts, her longest since 2002's '' This Is Me... Then''. In New Zealand, the album debuted at number 19, becoming her best debut since her 2002's remix compilation ''
J to tha L–O! The Remixes ''J to tha L–O! The Remixes'' is a remix album by American singer Jennifer Lopez, released February 1, 2002 by Epic Records. It contains remixes from Lopez's first two studio albums: ''On the 6'' (1999) and '' J.Lo'' (2001). It features artists ...
''. In its third week, the album peaked at number 12, her highest since ''J to tha L-O!'', which peaked at number three. In Europe, the album performed moderately well. In Switzerland, the album peaked at number one, becoming her fourth album to do so. It was later certified gold for selling more than 15,000 copies. In Spain, the album peaked at number three, becoming her best since 2007's '' Como Ama una Mujer''. In France, the album debuted and peaked at number seven, becoming her best effort on the French charts since ''Rebirth'', remaining for 24 weeks on the charts, her longest since ''This Is Me... Then''. In the United Kingdom, ''Love?'' debuted and peaked at number six, her best album on the UK charts since ''J to tha L–O!''. In July 2013, the album was certified gold in the country for completing shipments of 100,000 units.


Track listing

Notes * signifies a vocal producer *"On the Floor" and "On the Floor (Ven a Bailar)" contain an interpolation of "Llorando Se Fue", written by Gonzalo Hermosa and Ulises Hermosa. *"Take Care" contains: **interpolation and sample of "
Rude Boy Rude boy, rudeboy, rudie, rudi, and rudy are slang terms that originated in 1960s Jamaican street culture, and that are still used today. In the late 1970s, there was a revival in England of the terms ''rude boy'' and ''rude girl'', among other ...
", written by
Ester Dean Esther Renay Dean (born April 15, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, music producer and actress. Dean has also written songs for many artists, with numerous Top 10 hits, including No. 1 hits for Rihanna and Katy Perry, earning the name " ...
, Makeba Riddick, Robyn Fenty, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, and
Robert Thompson Robert or Bob Thompson may refer to: Entertainment * Bobby Thompson (comedian) (1911–1988), English comedian * Bob Thompson (musician) (1924–2013), American orchestra leader, arranger, composer * Robert E. Thompson (screenwriter) (1924–2004 ...
. **elements of " I Like It", written by Eldra DeBarge, William DeBarge, and Etterlene Jordan.


Personnel

*Adapted from album booklet.


Performance

*David Angell on "Starting Over" *Monisa Angell – viola on "Starting Over" *Anesha Birchett –
background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
on "(What Is) Love?", "Run the World" and "One Love" *John Catchings –
cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...
on "Starting Over" *
Tami Chynn Tammar Annika Chin (born 14 June 1983), known by her stage name Tami Chynn, is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and dancer. Early life Chynn was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Her father, Richard Chin, is of Jamaican and Chinese descent and her mother ...
 – additional vocals on "Hypnotico" *David Davidson –
violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...
*Alli Davis – background vocals on "Good Hit" *
Lauren Evans Lauren Evans (born February 3, 1983) is an American singer and platinum-selling songwriter. She is an ASCAP Award Winner and has written hit singles for Alexandra Burke, Monrose, Jordin Sparks, and Camila. As a songwriter, Evans has achieved f ...
 – background vocals on "Run the World" and "Villain" *Alessandro Giulini – accordion * Dianna "Wynter" Gordon – background vocals on "(What Is) Love?" and "Starting Over" *
Kuk Harrell Thaddis Laphonia "Kuk" Harrell ( ) is an American songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and engineer. He was a member of a songwriting–production team composed of himself, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash. In 2011, Kuk ...
 – background vocals on "
On the Floor "On the Floor" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her seventh studio album, '' Love?'' (2011). Featuring American rapper Pitbull, it was released by Island Records on February 8, 2011, as the lead single from the album. ...
" and "Run the World" *Jack Jezioro – String Bass on "Starting Over" *Anthony LaMarchina – cello on "Starting Over" * Jennifer Lopez – primary artist *Terius "
The-Dream Terius Youngdell Nash (born September 20, 1977), better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His co-writing credits include songs with "Me Against the Music" (2003) for Britney Spears, " Rid ...
" Nash – background vocals on "Run the World" *Jeanette Olsson – background vocals on "
I'm Into You "I'm Into You" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her seventh studio album '' Love?'' (2011). It features American rapper Lil Wayne, who also co-wrote it alongside British singer-songwriter Taio Cruz and Norwegian musician ...
" *Geraldo "Teddy Sky" Sandell – background vocals on "Invading My Mind" and "Charge Me Up" *Pamela Sixfin – violin on "Starting Over" *Kristin Wilkinson – viola on "Starting Over" *Karen Winkelmann – violin on "Starting Over"


Technical

*Jim Annunziato –
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...
, vocal engineer, vocal recording *Marcella "Ms. Lago" Araica – engineer, mixing *Nick Banns – assistant engineer *Beatgeek – programming, producer, instrumentation *Tim Blacksmith – management *Anesha Birchett – vocal producer *Al Burna – vocal engineer *Michael "Banger" Cadahia – engineer, vocal recording *Dustin Capulong – assistant engineer *Danny D. – management *David Davidson – string arrangements *Steven Dennis – assistant engineer *Mike "Handz" Donaldson – mixing *Dernst Emile II (
D'Mile Dernst "D'Mile" Emile II (born January 24, 1985) is an American record producer and songwriter from Brooklyn, New York City. He was sometimes referred to as D. Emile, Dernst Emile II, or Dee'Mile and is most commonly known and accredited as D'Mil ...
) – producer, engineer *Eric Eylands – recording assistant *Stefani "
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
" Germanotta – producer *Chris Galland – assistant engineer *Elizabeth Gallardo – assistant recording engineer *Jesus Garnica – assistant mastering engineer *Gene Grimaldi – mastering *Josh Gudwin – vocal recording, vocal engineering *Kuk Harrell – vocal arrangements, vocal engineer, vocal producer, vocal editing *Nathaniel Hills ( Danja) – producer *Ghazi Hourani – recording assistant *Jimmy Joker – programming, producer, instrumentation *Jaycen Joshua – mixing *Doug Joswick – package production *John "J-Banga" Kercy – additional
Pro-Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-product ...
*Nadir " RedOne" Khayat – producer, vocal arranger, vocal editor, vocal producer, instruments and programming, recording engineer, executive producer *Damien Lewis – engineer, assistant mixing engineer, additional mixing *Erik Madrid – mixing *Manny Marroquin – mixing *Troy "R8DIO" Johnson – producer *Benny Medina – executive producer *Trevor Muzzy –
audio mixer Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to: Sound *Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound *Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum *Digital audio, representation of sound ...
, recording engineer *Terius "
The-Dream Terius Youngdell Nash (born September 20, 1977), better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His co-writing credits include songs with "Me Against the Music" (2003) for Britney Spears, " Rid ...
" Nash – producer * Chris "Tek" O'Ryan – engineer, vocal editing *Julian Peploe – art direction *Bobby Shin – engineer (strings) *Chris Soper – assistant engineer * StarGate (Tor Erik Hermansen & Mikkel Storleer Erikssen) – producer, instruments, engineer, recording engineer *
Christopher "Tricky" Stewart Christopher Alan "Tricky" Stewart (born January 4, 1974) is an American record producer, record executive, songwriter, and music publisher. In a career spanning over 30 years, Stewart has won 5 Grammys and is responsible for over 50 million rec ...
 – producer *Phil Tan – mixing *Brian "B-Luv" Thomas – engineer *Pat Thrall – engineer *Miles Walker – engineer *Andrew Wuepper – engineer


Art, design and photography

*Doug Joswick – package production *Julian Peploe Studio – art direction, design *Deborah Mannis-Gardner – sample clearance *Martina Nilsson – styling *Mary Phillips – make-up *Juan Carlos Maci Ques – hair *JP Robinson – art direction, design *Warwick Saint – photography *Gabriela Schwartz – marketing *Kristen Yiengst – photography coordination


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


See also

*
List of number-one hits of 2011 (Switzerland) This is a list of the Swiss Hitparade number ones of 2011. Swiss charts Romandie charts References Swisschart No.1 Singles and Albums 2011


References


External links

*
Love?
' at
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

JenniferLopezOnline.com
nbsp;— Jennifer Lopez official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Love? (Album) Jennifer Lopez albums 2011 albums Albums produced by Danja (record producer) Albums produced by Tricky Stewart Albums produced by RedOne Albums produced by Stargate Albums produced by The-Dream Rhythm and blues albums by American artists Pop albums by American artists Dance music albums by American artists Island Records albums Albums produced by Kuk Harrell