Jennifer Lopez says she’s in her ‘happy era’ as she launches new Las Vegas residency

Jennifer Lopez’s The JLo Show residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas is now underway, and she says that it finds her in what she calls her “happy era.”

Speaking with ABC News’ Juju Chang in an interview that aired Wednesday on ABC’s Good Morning America, JLo said, “I’m in my happy era. I think for the first time in my life, I feel like I’m free. I am on my own. And it feels really good.”

She continued, “I didn’t really know what that felt like since I was in my early 20s. And even before that, you know, I’ve always had a boyfriend. There was always kind of, like, someone in my life and so many other things that I felt like were out of my control, and I just am at a point in my life … where I really trust myself.”

The residency is structured in four parts, and features the entertainer performing reimagined versions of her songs backed by a full orchestra. It also incorporates elements of Broadway, her first love as a performer.

“It’s a celebration,” Lopez said of the show. “That life is so precious. And, you know, even my kids going off to college now, it goes so quickly, and it’s like … you have to cherish and live every single moment.”

Ultimately, Lopez said she hopes audiences leave the show with a simple lesson.

“It’s definitely ‘Get up no matter what happens and dance again,'” she said. “Because you will … life kind of will throw things at you, but dance. Keep dancing, keep finding the joy in every moment, in every day. Because it’s there.”

The residency comes after the highly publicized 2024 breakup of Jennifer’s marriage to Ben Affleck, which she said forced her to slow down and focus on herself and her family.

“I had stop everything. And I took a year off. I canceled tours. I decided to just be home and sit in what had happened without running away from it. Through work, through another person, through anything. Just sit,” she said.

That process, she said, helped her learn something she once feared — being comfortable on her own.

Asked if she is currently dating anyone, she replied, “No. No, I’m not. God forbid. I don’t want to ruin anything. It’s so nice right now. I’m so happy. It’s the best. I just feel really good right now.”