[Chapter 13: Single Release]
Jennifer Lopez was twenty years old that year.
She was still young.
She wouldn't even be legally allowed to buy alcohol until July 24.
But she had already been in the business for four years.
Back in 1986, she had appeared in her first film, My Little Girl, which marked her official debut. Opportunities after that had been sparse. Besides My Little Girl, she hadn't been in another movie for years.
Her New York roots, plus a hot figure and a pretty face, helped her find steady work on Broadway. During that time she had appeared in musicals like Jesus Christ Superstar and Oklahoma, and she had joined the Synchronicity chorus. The previous year they had toured Japan for four months. The chorus was scheduled to play in Las Vegas later that year, but not until the back half of the season.
This day was March 20, 1990. It was also Jennifer's day off.
She slept until after ten in the morning. After a quick washup, the Latina beauty threw on a little makeup and headed out to get something to eat.
On her way, she passed a record shop called Good Voice and got caught by the posters in the window.
[A super young musical prodigy bringing you super cool music]
[New York's hometown kid, singing songs you'll remember]
[You won't be disappointed, trust me]
Several posters carried copy and a photo of a young blond white guy. Some showed him holding a guitar, some at a drum kit, some on a piano, even one with his shirt off on the beach.
"Orlando Keller -- so he really was for real," Jennifer muttered.
She knew the guy in the photos. He lived in the same building.
She had bumped into him in the elevator a few times. Young, same building, both good-looking -- they'd exchanged a few words. Jennifer had told him she worked on Broadway. He had told her he was a new artist signed with Warner Records and that he was about to release a single. She had seen him in the elevator just yesterday. Back then she'd been surprised that his dark hair was suddenly blond. She hadn't asked why yesterday, but now she understood.
'No wonder he dyed his hair blond -- it was for the single's photo shoot,' she thought.
She didn't think much more about it. Jennifer originally wanted to find something to fill her stomach, but subconsciously drifted into Good Voice store.
---
The door opened and a bright, upbeat melody greeted her. The shop was playing music. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but she didn't pay it much mind at first.
What surprised Jennifer was how crowded the store was. There were at least a dozen people, half of them lined up at the counter to check out.
She waited for a clerk who was helping customers. When he was free, she asked, "Hi, I saw the posters outside for the new single. Could I listen to that single?"
"Hi." The clerk, a young white guy, snorted softly. "I knew it -- as soon as those posters went up, even if the kid sang a pile of garbage, a bunch of women who like pretty boys would come in and buy it. Eight dollars for a single CD, plus two posters -- which woman wouldn't want that?"
Jennifer's pretty brow had arched and she was about to respond when the clerk went on. "Girl, you don't even need to listen. The track they're playing in here is his single. He sings pretty well, right? I heard he's a New Yorker, from the Bronx. Not bad."
"Thanks," Jennifer said.
She suddenly understood why the song had sounded familiar. It wasn't just the melody -- it was the voice. Listening more closely to the lyrics and arrangement, Jennifer's musical instincts kicked in. She had been performing in musicals for years, so she had a better ear than most.
After a few moments she looked surprised. The song blended two very different styles: hip-hop and country. They formed an unusually smooth hybrid. At first the lyrics didn't wow her -- that "I will be out of your reach, after I become rich" swagger was common in American hip-hop. But the melody had a hook that was downright addictive. Lines echoed and repeated in call-and-response, with a simple motif that made it easy to remember and sing along to.
What kind of song was this? Hip-hop? Country ballad? A brand-new country-hip-hop crossover? If it was the latter, it could be the start of a new style.
Jennifer couldn't label it, but the more she listened, the more she liked it. Before long she was humming along.
She decided to support her neighbor Orlando. She bought five copies of the single.
At the register she saw the promotion: each single came with two posters.
"There are thirty-two different posters total, ma'am. You bought five singles, so you can pick ten posters from the selection," the clerk said.
Jennifer dug in with interest. Even without the song's novelty and earworm quality, the posters were great. The paper felt thick, the ink was vivid, and the boy was ridiculously handsome. He looked like the classic white teen heartthrob -- a little like Brad Pitt -- but with deeper, more exotic features that made him sexier.
Jennifer bet that these posters alone would get middle-aged moms and their daughters to buy the single.
---
After the purchase Jennifer grabbed something to eat. By the time she got back to her one-bedroom at the Rox Apartments it was noon.
It was a rare day off. She planned to stay in until dinner.
She turned on the small TV in the living room. The first thing on was the MTV channel she had been watching before bed. It was midday, and MTV was airing their Music News segment.
The show had only been on for two years and mainly covered the U.S. music scene and pop-star news. Synchronicity had been featured twice during their European tour last year. The whole chorus had been thrilled, and their manager had been happy too -- MTV exposure had boosted Synchronicity's booking fees by five to ten percent. Fame had its perks.
Jennifer's attention got snagged by the Music News segment. The field reporter was interviewing Madonna, who was shooting a documentary called Madonna: Truth or Dare.
[Orlando Keller? Of course I've seen him. We're on the same label. He's a great kid -- his looks and his music are both, honestly, quite charming!]
[Do I want to date him? Please. I just got divorced, and he's only eighteen! But he's irresistible, isn't he? So after I finish this project, we'll see!]
[Of course, my tour is going well. Next stop is New York, where...]
*****
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