Jennifer Lopez Releases Country Song in Surprising Collaboration With Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles
Jennifer Lopez has gone country. The 46-year-old pop superstar has released a new duet with Sugarland singer, Jennifer Nettles. The song, “My House,” made its debut on NPR, and it’s like nothing you’ve ever heard from JLo. The song appears on the Jennifer Nettles’ solo album, Playing With Fire.
Jennifer Lopez trades verses with the country singer on the surprising track as they sing about how they’re not as different as people may think. Lopez even gives a shout-out to her “Jenny from the Block” alter ego and sings some of her lyrics in Spanish on the banjo-twinged tune.
“My House” is the first foray into country music for Jennifer Lopez, and while it seems unusual to see Lopez going country, the singer is actually a fan of the genre. In a 2014 interview with Pop Crush, Jennifer Lopez admitted that she is a big fan of the music style, putting it right behind her love for hip-hop.
“I’m a BIG country music fan,” Lopez said. “I love country music. I would say, you know, besides hip-hop, country music is one of my favorite genres. I love it.”
Jennifer, who sat alongside country singer Keith Urban as a judge on American Idol, said she loves the fact that country music tells stories better than any other genre.
“I love the storytelling in country music,” Lopez said. “I love the lyrics.”
In the same interview, Jennifer Lopez said she wouldn’t rule out a country music collaboration with Urban in the future. Lopez was also part of the American Idol judging team that helped catapult the show’s first-ever country music winner, Scotty McCreery, to stardom.
Speaking of Idol, Jennifer Lopez’ country music duet with Jennifer Nettles actually came to be thanks to her American Idol connections. In an interview with CBS’ WXYD, former Idol mentor and Big Machine CEO Scott Borchetta revealed that he came up with the idea for the two Jennifers to work together. Borchetta explained that he went out to dinner with Jennifer Nettles and she mentioned that she knows how to speak Spanish. The quick thinking record exec suggested that Nettles hook up with Jennifer Lopez for a duet, and the rest is music history.
Of course, Jennifer Lopez isn’t the only American Idol alum who has recorded a surprising country music track. Rock star Steven Tyler, who sat with Lopez during the 10th and 11th seasons of Idol, has released two country music singles—”Red, White and You” and “Love Is Your Name”—and he has a full country album set to release and has booked a solo tour to support it. The longtime Aerosmith frontman has teamed up with the Nashville-based Loving Mary for his country music outing.
It’s no surprise that Jennifer Lopez’ new song is being compared to another big name in her usual genre: Beyonce. Lopez’ duet with Nettles comes just two weeks after Beyonce’s Lemonade visual album featured the country-inspired track “Daddy Lessons.” Some critics felt that Beyonce should stay out of the country realm, so it will be interesting to see what the fan reaction is to Jennifer Lopez’ new song.
In addition to “My House,” Jennifer Lopez just released the music video for her new song “Ain’t Your Mama,” which she performed on the American Idol finale last month. Jennifer Lopez will also resume her Las Vegas residency show, titled All I Have, on May 22.
Take a look at the video below to hear Jennifer Nettles and Jennifer Lopez singing “My House.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKHHVG91S9w
[Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]
