Jennifer Lopez has a tremendous amount of success under her belt both in her career and personal life, but she apparently thinks 2016 is going to take her to the top.
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"It's gonna be a big year for me," the American Idol judge told TV Guide, according to E! News.
"I have Idol, I have [Shades of Blue], I have my [Las Vegas] residency beginning. I have so much stuff that we're working on the branding side. I don't know how I'd name it. It's gonna be a J.Lo year though. It's gonna be a real J.Lo year, whether you like it or not!"
The singer, actress, reality TV judge, and mother of two has been in the spotlight for so long, however, she feels it took a while for people to actually get to know her. So when was the turning point?
"I think once I started doing American Idol, people really got to know my real personality," Lopez, 46, explained.
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"I think maybe before there were a lot of misconceptions about me being a real diva or a problem or being very demanding and things like that. And then once I did that show, they could see my true personality, which was kind of just an emotional, happy person who was actually nice. I think there was a misconception that I actually wasn't."
However, Lopez didn't feel alone in this battle for others' approval.
"I don't know why they do that to women in this business, but they tend to. A lot of us are really just like any one of your friends. I'm a real girls' girl and I love hanging out with my besties and things like that. As unusual as my life is, I'm very normal and kind of down to earth," said Lopez, who grew up in the Bronx neighborhood of New York.
When Lopez was in high school, she chose to pursue dance instead of going to college, which prompted her mother to kick her out of the house.
"I was sleeping on a cot at a dance studio before I hit it big," Lopez admitted. "My life was about pounding the pavement, breaking away from under my mom and dad's wings and going off and flying on my own. I needed that moment."
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Lopez is now a role model on television, the big screen and in the fashion industry. She also prides herself on the fact there's nothing wrong with dating younger men like society approves of men dating younger women.
"I am happy to be one of the people who are breaking the mold," Lopez told TV Guide. "We can't keep acting like we are in the '50s. Women are strong. Women are bold. And now it is reflected in our art."
American Idol's fifteenth --and farewell -- season will premiere Wednesday, January 6 at 8PM ET/PT.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski