In advance of next week’s music conference Billboard has released their 2020 Latin Power Players issue, with power duo Jennifer Lopez and Maluma as the cover stars. Both artists are also scheduled to appear at Billboard’s Latin Music Week, Oct. 20-23.

With their upcoming film “Marry Me,” Jennifer Lopez and Maluma are bringing Latin music to the big screen at a time when the appetite for songs in Spanish has never been higher – and Hollywood is ready to cash in. Lopez and Maluma open up about their experience filming, and making the soundtrack for, “Marry Me,” Latino representation in film and barriers in the music industry, and how they represent their Latin identity in their work.

Speaking of Latino representation in film Lopez says: “It’s not common. I’ve been doing movies for 25 years now, and I’ve done 40-something movies. There have been three to four movies in my entire career where I’ve had Latino co-stars.”

Lopez is used to Romantic comedies, “I was playing [a character] trying to find someone who understood her and accepted her for all of what her life was but also just saw her as a person. Like a real girl. Which is what I am. People see you as this thing, this star. They forget you’re just a girl and want to live and laugh and be normal.” She adds, “First of all, romantic comedies are not light movies. They’re necessary, beautiful movies, and I don’t know why people feel like they have to put them down when everybody enjoys them so much…It’s a very sweet movie, but it’s still a movie about life.”

Maluma, her co-star in “Marry Me” continues to take Latin music to the next level: “There isn’t a new salsa kid right now that you say ‘This kid can make it.’ I don’t think they think they’re cool. We need that merengue, that salsa – someone who can take those genres to another level. Everybody wants to sing reggaetón, and I really feel we’re missing out.”

He adds, “It has been difficult to get into the American market. But people like Jennifer – who has been working a long time to get people to understand who we are as a community – opened a lot of doors for a lot of artists. I feel grateful for Jennifer.”

Maluma is proud of his Latin identity: “I have a tattoo that says “Medellín.” (He opens his shirt to show it.) I just want to be known around the world as Colombian. Everybody is always saying, “When are you going to start singing in English?” Why am I going to do it if I’m doing concerts in Romania, Israel, Morocco, the States, and they’re singing in Spanish? I want to bring my essence around the world. And my essence is singing in Spanish.”

In Billboard’s interview with Lopez, the Bronx diva speaks about the message behind her Super Bowl performance: “It was monumental for me. It was about [putting on] the best, most exciting show that I could, but there were a lot of messages in there — for women, for little girls, for Latinos here in the United States and everything we’ve been going through [politically]. We have to stand up for ourselves. That’s why I said, “Let me hear you, women! Let me hear you, Latinos! It’s time to get loud!” Our vote matters. We matter.”

Lopez continues: “Everybody knows that I’m a Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx. It’s not something I ever tried to hide — or ever thought that I should hide — so I can get ahead. I always felt that individuality is what made me different from every other actress that was out there when I first started. I feel it’s the secret to my success.”

And what’s most important to Lopez? “One of the fears of artists who perform is, “If I stop, it’s going to go away.” And it doesn’t. You need to have a little bit more faith in yourself and know that when you’re ready to put out the next album, even if it takes two years, it’s OK. You have to take time for things that matter: your kids, your family.”

What’s next for Jennifer Lopez and Maluma? “We’re making history right now as a Latin community and I feel very proud of being part of this big, big movement that we’re having right now. I think the J.Lo-Maluma movement is just starting. After “Marry Me,” I think things are going to change a lot.” – Maluma

“Maybe we’ll do a tour together.” – Lopez

For the complete Billboard interview click HERE.