Jennifer Lopez reflects on childhood obsession with Madonna and Selena Quintanilla's impact on her career

Jennifer Lopez has revealed that her admiration for Madonna began in childhood, sharing that she even altered her clothes to imitate the pop icon's signature style.

In a recent interview, Lopez was asked to identify Madonna's hit song 'Ray of Light,' prompting an enthusiastic response.

"This is Madonna!" Lopez said with a big smile, as quoted by People magazine.

Reflecting on her younger years, she added, "When I was little, I wanted to be like her. That's why I started coming to the village. I wanted to dress like her."



Lopez went on to explain just how far she took that inspiration. "Cut up" her clothes, she said, to "look like her."

The singer also spoke about her desire to keep evolving throughout her career, a mindset she says was shaped by her admiration for Madonna.

"I always said to myself, I never want to get stuck. I always wanted to keep evolving. I always wanna keep doing new things," she said, as quoted by People magazine.

Elsewhere in the episode, Lopez was quizzed on songs by Janet Jackson, Salt-N-Pepa and Selena Quintanilla, the late singer she portrayed in the acclaimed 1997 film 'Selena.'

Discussing the impact of the role on her own career, Lopez said the film became a turning point in her professional journey.

"Obviously, I played Selena in the movie. That was kind of the set-off to my career, and people are like, 'You can't go into singing.' And I was like, 'No.' You have to seize the moment. You have one life, and the fact that she died so young... it fueled a fire in me to like, 'F--- it. Go for it. Do whatever you want in this life,'" she said.

She added, "Do what you want to do now."

Lopez is currently promoting her upcoming Netflix film 'Office Romance', in which she stars opposite Brett Goldstein.

Speaking at the film's premiere, the multi-hyphenate performer admitted that filming romantic scenes still makes her nervous despite decades in the industry.

"I've been doing this a long time," Lopez said, adding, "I want to say that I was fine, but it's always a thing. It's like, 'Okay, I have to kiss this person that I don't know, and I'm just getting to know you.' You get a little nervous, that's all," as quoted by People magazine.

In 'Office Romance', Lopez plays the CEO of a major company who falls for a newly hired employee. According to the film's official logline, the pair embark on a secret romance before deciding to "stop playing by the rules and start following their hearts."