Format Digital download Label Capitol | Genre R&B | |
Released February 4, 2014 (2014-02-04) Recorded March 2013 (2013-03)
Conway Recording (Los Angeles)
Monk Music Studios (Hamptons)
Pinky's Palace (Hidden Hills) Length 3:30 (solo version)
4:06 (album version) | ||
"Same Girl" is a song recorded by American entertainer Jennifer Lopez for her eighth studio album, A.K.A. (2014). It features a guest rap from American rapper French Montana. The song was written by Lopez and Chris Brown in collaboration with the song's producers Antwan "Amadeus" Thompson, Charles "Chizzy" Stephens, and Ryan "Ryghtous" Tedder, while Cory Rooney handled vocal production of the song. A solo version of "Same Girl" was released on February 4, 2014, as the second promotional single from A.K.A.. An accompanying music video for the solo version of the song was directed by Steve Gomillion and Dennis Leupold in the Castle Hill neighbourhood of The Bronx, Lopez's hometown.
Contents
Background
Lopez tweeted a picture of herself on March 21, 2013 in the recording studio with her long-time collaborator Cory Rooney and American singer Chris Brown. Lopez captioned the picture with the hashtag "#SAMEGIRL", leading some to believe that it was either a song title or the name of Lopez's upcoming eighth studio album. Several days later, Brown described their collaborations as being "fun stuff" and "party music". In April, Lopez commented that she and Brown were "in the studio, writing songs and just getting that whole 'Jenny from the Block' flavor back". She also revealed that they "worked on a bunch of ideas" and that they had discussed the possibility of recording a duet for Brown's upcoming sixth studio album, X (2014). In September 2013, Brown revealed the titles of two songs that he had written for Lopez: "Emotions" and "Same Girl".
On January 13, 2014, during her appearance on The Tonight Show, Lopez shared a 45-second preview of "Same Girl" and its music video. Two days later, Lopez revealed that the snippet was "just something [she] was doing for the fans" and that the song was not the first single from her upcoming album, despite previous reports that it was.
Writing and production
"Same Girl" was written by Lopez and Brown in collaboration with the song's producers Antwan "Amadeus" Thompson, Charles "Chizzy" Stephens and Ryan "Ryghtous" Tedder. It is a R&B song, with "J. Lo"'s self-assured vocal performance, triumphant brass, vocal samples and trap-tinged hi-hat rolls. The song runs for a duration of three minutes and thirty seconds (3:30). According to Lopez, the song is about "getting back to your roots and remembering where you're from", returning to the themes of 2002 hit "Jenny from the Block". "Cause I'm on the same grind, no I never changed, I'm loving everyday, I know that I'm the same Jenny from around the way now," Lopez sings. In the chorus, she insists, "Cuz in the end I'm still the same girl, same girl."
Music video
The music video for "Same Girl" was shot guerrilla style in the Castle Hill neighborhood of The Bronx, Lopez's hometown, during the weekend of December 28, 2013. It was directed by Steve Gomillion and Dennis Leupold, who have worked previously with Lopez on a variety of projects. The music video was described by Jocelyn Vena of MTV News as a "love letter" to the singer's hometown. The clip features Lopez taking on the subway, singing on a rooftop, walking throughout her neighborhood whilst greeting locals, taking pictures with fans and dancing. Speaking of Lopez's hair and looks, hair stylist Elsa Canedo said: "The looks were very relaxed and real, but we tossed in a few braids to give it some Bronx flavor."
The video ends with a note from Lopez that reads: "Thank you Andrew Freedman House, Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Orchestra, and to all my people in the Bronx... You're forever in my heart."
On the music video, Lopez said: "This was probably the craziest thing I've done in my career of music and movies. I like just being able to do things spontaneously, and not have everything so planned out." Recalling her decision to travel back to the Bronx and ride the subway for the music video, Lopez stated during an interview with Jay Leno: "Life can be so complicated and complex for everybody and for me as well and I just felt like, I just wanna get back on the train (...) It really just reminded me of all those amazing memories of riding on that train back and forth to Manhattan and back to the Bronx."