The singer's new album 'Tulip Drive' is out June 24.
Jimmie Allen and Jennifer Lopez having a mutual friend worked in his favor! The country crooner had a full circle moment when he got J. Lo to work on a reimagined version of her single, “On My Way” for his latest album, Tulip Drive.
“A friend of mine works with her camp and he messaged me like, ‘We are trying to do a duet remix version of this J. Lo song are you down?’ I was like, ‘Yeah Bro send it over,’” the 37-year-old told ET's Cassie DiLaura about the opportunity to work with the Marry Me actress.
“I did it the next day and sent it back to him. It was really cool. It was kinda a full circle moment, cause I know she was the judge on American Idol and a year or so ago we did New Year’s Rockin' Eve and now a song together.”
Although he didn’t have the chance to speak with Lopez directly, the “Freedom Was a Highway” singer felt that she trusted his creative process and was pleased with the version of the song. “We didn’t talk about it,” he said.
“It's kinda like her and her team trusting me to do what I do. They sent it over. I sent it back. I didn’t have to resend anything and they mixed it and got it ready and boom boom boom.”
Allen already has his next big idea with Lopez planned out. “So a movie is next,” he said. “Let’s do a movie. I’ll have my people call your people we will get it done.”
He continued, “Original [songs] would be great too,” he shared about the idea for their follow-up collaboration. “Maybe an original song for the movie original songs that fill up an album for the movie.”
Tulip Drive, which was named after the street his grandmother grew up on, has features from T-Pain and Cee-Lo Green. The singer’s 8-year-old son, Aadyn also makes an appearance on the record. When it comes to his son’s feature, Allen said that his rising star is playing it cool.
“He didn't care but at the same time he was like, ‘so people are gonna hear my voice?’” he said. “I was like ‘Yeah.” He was like ‘Is my name gonna be on there? I was like “Yeah.’ He said, ‘So like people are gonna know like I'm Aadyn?’ I was like ‘Yeah bro, they'll know.”
Allen admits that his son doesn’t want to be on stage, but he doesn’t mind being the center of attention during his father’s shows. “I've tried to get him to come on stage before but he won't do it,” the "Down Home" singer said.
"But he'll go down on the other side of the barricade on the stage side and like take selfies with people during my show. By the way, I'm, on stage killing it doing my thing, trying to make a living to provide and I look down and this kid is distracting me during my show taking selfies. Like hey, do your thing bro.”
Allen is also father to daughters, Naomi, 2, and 9-month-old Zara with his wife, Alexis. With all the features and the mix of genres on Tulip Drive, Allen said that it’s all about bringing people together, and giving others and introduction into the country space.
“I’m glad the record is out,” the singer says. “I’m looking forward to how the people respond to the record. That’s why I wanted to have songs like country music songs, rap leaning songs, Christian leaning songs so no matter where people hear my music they’ll find something for them."
He continued, "I’ve learned recently that what I did on different shows whether it's Dancing with the Stars or sitting here talking to you, people will watch this and see this who don’t listen to country music. So if they found ‘Hey who’s Jimmie Allen?’ they go to my record hopefully they’ll find something that fits them. I want my album to be a place where everyone feels welcome.”
Tulip Drive is out now.
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