Highs and JLos of Jennifer Lopez's rollercoaster year

Life is a rollercoaster ride - especially for US pop superstar Jennifer Lopez this year.

From getting slammed by World Cup viewers for her opening ceremony performance to making headlines for yet another heartbreak, the newly-single 44-year-old Latina actress-singer and mum of two has encountered more bumps and jolts in a month than most people would in a year.

Then again, you can't deny JLo's current career trajectory is best likened to a supercar, hurtling at top speed in every direction possible.

New album? Check. New fragrance? Check. New book? Check. And that's just half of what's on her plate - all this while looking hotter than ever.

M looks at the highs and lows of the sexy diva who manages to bounce back from whatever's thrown at her...

HIGH

SHE LIGHTENS UP ON LATEST ALBUM

A.K.A. - Lopez's eighth studio effort which is now available at record stores and on iTunes - is lightweight fare with the star's usual offering of electrodance and club jams but still throws up plenty of fun, addictive tunes.

"The album is tough. There's strength, but also humour. It's about being smarter about love - and not taking yourself so seriously," said Lopez in an interview with InStyle magazine.

In April, she displayed her candid, bubbly side by appearing on talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, eliciting laughs in a segment called New Lyrics For Old People.

Lopez and host Kimmel attempted to explain the raunchy, sexually suggestive lyrics of her single I Luh Ya Papi to seniors, getting much laughter from the audience.

So far, critics have heaped praise on A.K.A. - Los Angeles Times said it "showcases a singer better adept at balancing her pop and hip-hop roots", while Billboard.com gave JLo props for "delivering engaging soundscapes".

Her two singles from the album, First Love and I Luh Ya Papi, also achieved moderately good chart results.

First Love peaked at Number 27 on Billboard's Mainstream Top 40 chart, while the latter reached Number 7 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

LOW

HER WORLD CUP 2014 SONG BOMBS - AND SO DOES HER OPENING CEREMONY PERFORMANCE

For an official World Cup anthem that celebrates the unifying power of football, We Are One (Ole Ola) by US rapper Pitbull, featuring Lopez and Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte on vocals, flopped big time.

Not only was the song slammed by fans for containing too little Portuguese (many Brazilians felt Bronx-born Lopez and Miami-born Pitbull lacked true-blue South American blood), it was further embarrassed by the fact that Colombian singer Shakira's unofficial World Cup number, La La La (Brazil 2014), raked in more YouTube views.

Then came the nail in the coffin.

The trio's live performance at the World Cup opening ceremony in Sao Paolo last Friday was hampered by "appalling" sound quality.

According to the UK's The Telegraph, Lopez, Leitte and Pitbull's voices sounded "faint and tinny" on television, prompting one netizen to call their performance "an absolute mess".

LOW

SHE IS SINGLE - 
YET AGAIN

Earlier this month, Lopez called it quits with her toyboy dancer beau Casper Smart, 27, after reports that he had gone out with two transsexual models.

The news wasn't entirely surprising, as the consensus was that the couple's two-year May-December romance was doomed from the start.

While her career has been relatively smooth-sailing, her love life is best described as rocky, what with three failed marriages.

Yet, Lopez admits to being "fearless" when it comes to love. "You have to be. You can't be afraid to fall and try again," she told Billboard.com.

She added in an online interview with SoulCycle: "Everyone goes through challenges and the most important thing you can do is to learn and grow from each of them. I've had my own personal challenges, but I've walked away from them with a new sense of perspective and that's where I find my greatest strength."

HIGH

SHE PROVES TO BE SHOWBIZ'S BEST MULTI-TASKER

Lopez's schedule reads like a never-ending list.

She released her 21st fragrance Glowing Goddess in March, as part of a partnership with US department chain Kohl's.

She also has several movies slated for next year, including thriller The Boy Next Door and indie flick Lila & Eve, and will produce and star in NBC's new TV drama Shades of Blue.

Of course, who can forget reality singing competition American Idol?

She returned to the judges' table for Season 13 which ended its run last month and is expected to be back for Season 14.

In October, her first book, True Love, a soul-baring autobiography, will be released.

Lopez manages her juggling act like a pro, but told Los Angeles Times that she hopes critics will appreciate her mixed-medium successes more.

"I think because I do a lot of different things, I don't get credit for being great at one thing like some people are," she said.