Jennifer Lopez - I'm Glad

What this video is

Released in April 2003, 'I'm Glad' arrived at the height of Jennifer Lopez's cultural omnipresence as both a film and music star. The video's wholesale recreation of Flashdance (1983) tapped into a mainstream appetite for 80s nostalgia while simultaneously foregrounding Lopez's own identity as a Bronx-born Latina dancer — in contrast to the original film's protagonist. Scholars noted the video authenticated Lopez…

Why it matters

A landmark early-2000s R&B pop video that operationalized direct cinematic homage as music video language, cementing David LaChapelle's status as a premier director of star-vehicle performance pieces. Its four MTV VMA nominations and commercial visibility made it a benchmark for dance-forward…

The director

David LaChapelle (born March 11, 1963, Fairfield, CT) is an American photographer, music video director, and film director. Discovered by Andy Warhol as a teenager and hired to shoot for Interview magazine, he developed a signature 'hyper-real, kitsch pop…