Jennifer Lopez explains why she didn't want the 'Marry Me' soundtrack to be 'a J. Lo album'

Jennifer Lopez is counting down the days until her new rom-com, "Marry Me," bows in theaters.

Ahead of its Feb. 11 release, the singer/actress opened up about the challenges of making the movie's soundtrack.

She told Billboard it was "really difficult" to make the songs for the "Marry Me" movie. She plays pop superstar Kat Valdez in the film, but Jennifer said the main challenge was ensuring that Kat's music did not come across as J. Lo songs.

"I wasn't making it a J. Lo album. I was making a different character, and also, I was weaving the songs and writing them for the story," she explained. In the end, she found those eight tracks -- but only after combing through "a hundred" songs that "every producer and writer" sent to her.

The singer added that she's a big fan of rom-coms and won't tolerate critics besmirching their contribution to entertainment. "First of all, romantic comedies are not light movies," the singer told the outlet. "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 like chick flicks. I don't know guys who don't love to go to the movies and watch a rom-com with me."

To help tide fans over until "Marry Me" arrives in theaters, the movie's eponymous lead single was released Thursday.