Jennifer Lopez is preparing to return with new music after a major change in her family life sent her back to the recording studio.

Lopez said she began writing and recording again after twins Max and Emme Muniz, whom she shares with ex-husband Mark Anthony, left for college. The experience gave her more time to consider what her next chapter would look like — even as she dealt with the sadness and uncertainty of that transition.

“They take up such a big part of your brain for so long, and when they’re gone, which is devastating and sad and scary, you’re facing a life that’s totally different now, and you’re like, ‘What am I going to do with this space and this time?’” Lopez told Variety.

Her answer was to return to the studio. Lopez said the resulting material includes some of the strongest songs she has written and described the project as “a very happy era album.”

“It’s some of the most joyous, beautiful songs that have just a tad of a tear in them,” she said.

“Proof of Love” Leads the New Music

The first new song, “Proof of Love,” will be included as a bonus track on the first-ever vinyl release of Lopez’s 2011 album, Love?. Pre-orders for three different vinyl editions begin Oct. 28.

Lopez said the new track explores the emotional connection between love and loss while delivering that idea through an upbeat dance song.

“It’s really a beautiful song about this kind of duality,” she explained. “It’s this happy dance song, and these are the things that are the proof of love. One of them is pain and grief when someone’s gone. You feel pain and grief. That’s really proof of love.”

Rather than treating that pain solely as something devastating, Lopez wanted the song to recast it as evidence of a meaningful bond.

“I wanted to make that a happy thing,” she said. “I wanted to make that a marker instead of this devastating thing.”

“Proof of Love” will not be the only new material on the way. Lopez said it will be followed by “a couple of others that are super fun and cunty for my gays.” No further song titles or release dates were provided.

A New Chapter for Love?

The vinyl arrival gives Lopez’s seventh studio album a new format more than a decade after its original release. Love? included “On the Floor” featuring Pitbull, “I’m Into You” featuring Lil Wayne and “Papi.”

Placing “Proof of Love” on the vinyl edition also links the record’s established catalog with the music Lopez created during this new period of her life. While the fresh song deals with grief and absence, Lopez’s description makes clear that the broader musical direction is centered on happiness, beauty and movement rather than remaining fixed in sadness.

The reissue will coincide with another Lopez music event: the premiere of her new concert film, The JLo Show: Live in Vegas. The film will air Thanksgiving night, Nov. 26, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and will also stream on Paramount+.

ShowBiz Take

Lopez’s next musical phase is taking shape around a highly personal turning point. Her twins leaving for college did not simply provide a lyrical subject; by her account, it created the time and space that brought her back into the studio.

That makes “Proof of Love” an especially revealing introduction to the new material. Its central idea — that grief can demonstrate how deeply someone was loved — reflects the emotional tension Lopez described when discussing her children’s departure. Yet she has chosen to frame that feeling as a dance song and as part of what she calls a happy era.

The rollout also brings together three distinct pieces of her music: a newly written song, the first vinyl edition of Love? and a televised concert film. Together, they present a bridge between an earlier album and the music emerging from Lopez’s changed family life.

What Happens Next?

Fans can pre-order one of the three Love? vinyl editions beginning Oct. 28, with “Proof of Love” included as a bonus track. Lopez has confirmed that additional new songs will follow, although their titles and timing have not been announced.

Her next confirmed screen event is The JLo Show: Live in Vegas, airing Nov. 26 on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.