Christina Milian, the talented singer and songwriter, holds Jennifer Lopez in high regard. Milian, who co-wrote Lopez’s 2001 hit “Play,” expresses her admiration for the song’s inclusion on J.Lo’s album, despite initially recording it for her own LP. She enthusiastically states, “Hands down, she killed it. She’s so good. I love that song.” Milian’s support for Lopez is evident as she promotes her partnership with Lysol Air Sanitizer. The singer also reflects on her experience of writing “Play” at the age of 19 and her journey as a developing artist in the early 2000s.
A Burst of Creativity
During a songwriting camp in Sweden, alongside talented individuals such as Bloodshy & Avant and Anders Bagge, Milian penned both “Play” and her defining debut single “AM to PM.” She vividly remembers the moment when inspiration struck and “Play” came to her effortlessly after a late night of partying. Milian recalls, “I went to bed late that night, woke up the next morning and had to go to the studio. I had the track and I didn’t write anything [to it]. So I sat down in the bed, I had this track, I was really tired and I played the track and I was like –” She interrupts herself, humming the melody of the first verse. She continues, “And I was like, ‘This just sounds too easy.’ It was just too easy to write at that moment. I wrote the song in, like, 15 minutes, and it was a joke to me because I had just started to become a writer.”
A Choice Between Songs
While Milian was proud of “Play,” she favored “AM to PM” and assumed that her then-label, Def Soul, would not want to include “two party songs” on her self-titled record, released internationally in January 2002. However, Tommy Mottola, the former Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, had a different perspective. Mottola, upon hearing “Play,” immediately claimed the song for Lopez, who was signed to Epic Records at the time. Milian remembers, “The guy comes in, he hears ‘Play,’ loves it, and is like, ‘I want this as her single.’ And the next thing I know, she’s in New York, she’s recording the song, and I came in to help rewrite some of the stuff.”
Even in 2023, the discussion surrounding the collaboration continues, with fans often questioning Lopez for not giving Milian a feature credit despite leaving her vocals on the final cut of “Play.” Milian addresses these speculations, saying, “It’s funny when people talk about this being kind of a thing about me singing on the song with Jennifer. I mean, I have background singers on some of my songs. It’s no different than Michael Jackson having background singers on songs or Britney Spears. This is what music is made of. You want a blend of voices. It makes songs better, to me.”
Milian is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to Lopez’s success from behind the scenes. She emphasizes, “I don’t need a feature credit. I’m on the credits for whatever nature, as a writer and for singing backgrounds. There is credit for that.” Despite any misconceptions, Milian’s appreciation for Lopez’s talent and their collaboration shines through. Their connection in the music industry serves as a reminder that collaboration and support can lead to extraordinary musical achievements.
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