NEW YORK - "American Idol" judge Jennifer Lopez will premiere the music video for new single "On the Floor" during the singing talent show March 3.
The tune, which features Cuban-American rapper Pitbull, debuted this week at No. 40 on Billboard's Pop Songs chart and at No. 26 on the Dance/Club Play Songs chart. The RedOne-produced track is the lead single from Lopez's upcoming seventh album, "Love?," due to be released on March 29 on Island Def Jam.
The "Idol" stage is no stranger to song and/or video premieres, including ones from its judges -- in 2008, former judge Paula Abdul premiered the video for "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow," from Randy Jackson's "Music Club: Volume 1" album. The song sold 32,000 copies in the week the video premiered and improved to 35,000 the following week (selling 413,000 to date), but didn't do as well at radio, reaching only No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The release of "On the Floor" follows a lackluster few years for Lopez's music sales. Her 2007 album "Brave" failed to chart any singles inside the top 30 on Billboard's Hot 100 and sold 650,000 copies worldwide -- a marked decrease from her previous millions-selling albums, resulting in the singer's release from Epic Records.
But Lopez's new gig as an "Idol" judge seems to provide a stellar opportunity to revive her music career's fortunes. Following a first run on "Idol's" initial episodes in which she was branded as a more positive, non-critical force, Lopez has stepped up her critiques in recent episodes, though last night's episode resulted in the 41-year-old breaking down following the emotional cut of fan favorite Chris Medina.
R Reitz, program director at WHFN (Fun 107) in New Bedford, Mass., said of "On the Floor": "We thought the song was a hit the first time we listened. It's the perfect Jennifer Lopez song, her voice sounds great, and Pitbull makes it very contemporary and relevant. The song is already a hit in our market and I think she can easily have more."