Lebanese designer Elie Saab hired Grammy-nominated singer Jennifer Lopez to perform some of her hits at the 45th-anniversary runway show, “The 1001 Seasons of Elie Saab,” in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and fans are up in arms.
While no one could deny that the “Let’s Get Loud” singer looked amazing, many thought her performance was odd, blasting the producers for hiring her as the opening act.
According to Harper’s Bazaar, Lopez opened the show with a grand entrance on a floating platform framed by a white, feather-adorned, bedazzled arch.
She kicked things off with a slowed-down cover of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” before transitioning into her hit, “Waiting For Tonight.” Suspended above the crowd, she dazzled in a metallic silver bodysuit with a plunging neckline, layered over sheer tights, and paired with sparkling silver heeled boots.
While she belted out the songs, dancers in 1920s-inspired flapper costumes and tuxedos filled the dance floor below.
As models marched down the runway, Lopez dove into the arms of male dancers, who lifted her high above the stage as she sang the chorus.
Fashion Bomb Daily posted a clip of Lopez’s performance, showing her trust falling into the arms of her male dancers. The platform’s 2.1 million followers had mixed reactions.
“Why are y’all hiring her to perform????????” one person asked, while another commented, “It’s time to give it to the next generation bc wtf was that.”
Some were puzzled by her selection for the gig, with one saying, “Who is booking Jenny for these singing engagements lol. Listen she can act she can dress but she can’t sing baby.”
Others focused on the bellyflop stunt into the tuxes, with one fan saying, “I watched the dive with no audio and instantly felt concerned.”
Another added, “I thought she fell. No matter how great she looks, she’s still 55. The recovery would be insane.”
One commenter was blunt, writing, “JLo needs to hang it up.”
While critics seem to keep asking her to stop what she loves and crawl away after her recent divorce from actor Ben Affleck, it seems that the multi-hyphenate just seems to keep pushing on.
In addition to this highly coveted international fashion show concert, she is still promoting her new film “Unstoppable,” where the 55-year-old stars as the lead character’s mother.
According to her IMDb, she also has two films in pre-production that she is producing, “The Godmother” and “Bob the Builder,” and one film, “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” in post-production.”
Lopez also starred in and produced the film “Atlas” that hit big screens on May 24.
Still, no matter how hard or busy it seems Jenny from the Block is, she is plagued with haters picking at something she did, wore, or the fact that she has had several failed marriages.
The cloud of fuss around Lopez’s life will most likely not dissipate. But the “Selena” actress doesn’t appear to be letting any of this stop her grind, embodying her song, “I’m Gonna Be Alright.”
