Jennifer Lopez
The Times Magazine, June 2011
Dancing is one of the greatest joys of my life. For pleasure and sheer escapism, it's hard to beat. 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.
I thrive on challenges. I'm like, 'Yeah, I can do that!' It's how I've navigated my entire career.
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. It's about wanting to be the best you can be.
Having children completely changes your perspective on the world and on life in general. 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.
I don't cry easily but that doesn't mean I'm not a deep-feeling person. I am, very. Real emotions are what move me, not the fake kind.
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.
If I could give my teenage self some advice, it would definitely be in the love area. 'Don't give your heart away so 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.
Time alone is precious, 'cos for so much of the day I'm surrounded by family or work colleagues. When I get that time, 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.
I'm very nostalgic. When I'm in New York I love driving by my old neighbourhood (Lopez gew up in The Bronx). It was so important in forming me and I still feel myself to be the exact same person I was back then.
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.
How could I not be moved when kids stand before me on American Idol waiting to be judged, their hopes and dreams so clearly on display? 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.
I never thought about being rich and famous, 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. My advice to kids is to aspire to being good at something, not just to being a celebrity.
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? It's the inner stuff that really makes someone beautiful to me.
What keeps me awake at night? The same thing as does any other working mother? 'Can I be sure my kids are OK when I'm not there?'
Copyright © 2020 Alan Jackson