Jennifer Lopez is back in the studio and making new music, thanks to rekindling her relationship with Ben Affleck. The multi-talented artist, 54, recently spoke with Entertainment Tonight about her upcoming album, This Is Me… Now: A Love Story, which is a musical and visual representation of her life events. Lopez revealed that her reunion with Affleck motivated her to return to the studio and create music once again. She said, “When Ben and I got back together, it was just like, ‘I want to make music again, I want to get back in the studio.’ I was very, very inspired.”

Lopez and Affleck, 51, reignited their relationship in 2021 and tied the knot in July 2022. Affleck even makes an appearance in Lopez’s latest visual project, along with other notable stars like Post Malone, Fat Joe, Keke Palmer, Trevor Noah, and Sofia Vergara.

While working on her new cinematic masterpiece, Lopez experienced a mix of emotions. She shared, “Half the time, I was thinking, like, ‘This is amazing! I am so excited that I’m doing this!’ And then half the time I was like, ‘Why are you doing this? You are so crazy.’ But I think that’s what being an artist is about, you know, you have to. That’s the difference between being an artist and not being an artist, how vulnerable you can get.”

During a press conference, Lopez also revealed that Affleck played a crucial role in quieting her doubts and encouraging her to embrace her many talents. She recalled Affleck saying, “I don’t write, I don’t do this.’ He was like, ‘You do, you write, you direct, you produce, you choreograph, you do all the things. Start stepping into that, start owning a little bit of who you are.’”

Director Dave Meyers, who worked closely with Lopez on the project, explained that their romance served as a significant influence for the visual representation. He noted that Lopez openly shared with him the pain she experienced when she first broke up with Affleck. To capture that emotion, Meyers created a scene where Lopez portrays a construction worker in a heart factory. He stated, “There was a lot of honesty that was shared in that first meeting, and so the heart factory became sort of a Titanic-level meltdown, which was a metaphor for what she was giving me as far as her truth.”

With the release of Lopez’s ninth album just around the corner on February 16, fans can expect a collection of new music that showcases her creativity and passion. A source close to the artist revealed that now is the perfect time for Lopez to focus on her music. They added, “She’s loved creating new music. She’s very excited about it. Ben’s proud of her. He’s her biggest fan. He loves how hard working and focused she is.”

Lopez has already given fans a taste of her new album with the release of singles “Can’t Get Enough” and the title track “This Is Me… Now,” both of which she performed during her recent appearance as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.