We all know Jennifer Lopez. We're either familiar with her music, films, or her iconic Super Bowl performance with Shakira. Either way, we know her name... but where did she get her start exactly?
Starting Point As A Fly Girl
In the early '90s, Lopez worked as one of the backup dancers for the boyband New Kids On The Block. However, her big break came when she auditioned to become a Fly Girl on the FOX television series In Living Color.
Lopez was not initially chosen though, with the role going to Carla Garrido. When the show hit its third season, Lopez officially became Fly Girl, though she would only stay for one season before she left the show to pursue an acting career.
The hard work she put into her role on the show certainly paid off, especially when she got her breakout role four years after leaving the series.
Bidi Bidi Bom Bom
In 1996, after co-starring in some films, Lopez got the role of a lifetime when she got cast as late Grammy-winning Tejano singer, Selena.
Though her being cast as Selena was met with backlash as she is Puerto Rican and not Mexican American, the role is still what brought Lopez to superstardom and is what made her name known to the world.
To prepare for the role, Lopez traveled to Corpus Christi, Texas and stayed with Selena's family and watched interviews.
"I soaked up everything, I watched every interview that I could," says Lopez "I slept in her bed at home. I talked to the whole family. I spent time with them. It can be melancholy and beautiful at the same time."
All of that preparation and hard work really paid off in the end. Selena was released on March 21st, 1997 and Lopez's performance was met with positive reception from both fans of Selena and critics. Lopez even received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.
The film is often credited as what launched Lopez into superstardom and to this day, Lopez continues to share tributes to Selena on social media and once paid tribute at the Billboard Latin Music Awards in 2015.
A Shift Towards Music
After the success of Selena, Lopez decided to start a music career. Lopez said that though she was lip-syncing in the film, filming those scenes reminded her of 'how much she missed singing and dancing'.
On May 4, 1999, Lopez released her debut single If You Had My Love, which went on to receive positive reviews.
Four weeks later, on June 1, she released her debut studio album On the 6, with the title of the album paying tribute to the 6 subway line in New York City. The album received a positive response and it took Lopez's career even further, right into the world of pop culture.
Now
In the two decades since Lopez's starring role in Selena and album release, Lopez's superstardom continued to grow.
After starring in some more films in the years since Selena, Lopez starred in one of her biggest roles of the 21st century, Hustlers, which earned her a second Golden Globe nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category.
Her music career also didn't stop after On the 6. She went on to release seven more studio albums, her most recent one being in 2014 with the release of A.K.A. She also recently headlined the Super Bowl Halftime Show, alongside Shakira. In fact, the performance received controversy and alongside that, the FCC received over 1,300 complaints because of the performance.
Now, it seems like she's working on her ninth studio album, judging by this Instagram post.