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Critics were shocked that Jennifer Lopez was chosen to lead the Motown tribute at the 61st annual Grammy Awards , but the singer was not having it.  The moment J. Lo finished her set, she went backstage to defend her performance by sharing her personal connection to Motown in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “It was for my mom. I could cry. It’s such a good moment. It’s just a dream come true,” the singer told ET.  She gets emotional as she explains her childhood and the role Motown played, thanks to her mother who was a huge fan.  “Singing up there with Smokey Robinson, like I gotta pinch myself,” she said. “I grew up on all those songs, and because my mom loved him so much, she passed it on to us.”  “The thing about music is that it inspires all,” she continued. “Any type of music can inspire any type of artist.” “You can’t tell people what to love. You can’t tell people what they can and can’t do, what they should sing or not sing. You gotta do what’s in your heart,” she told ET. And while some unsupportive fans are outraged that a Latin-infused pop icon would agree to do a tribute to a famously black label featuring black artists, J. Lo told ET that Grammy producers and Berry Gordy were “thrilled” with her involvement in the tribute.  “They know how much I have been influenced by that music, and so it was a natural fit for them,” she said. “But for some people, it wasn’t and that’s okay. I’m just very humbled and honored to be able to have sung those songs.” And if Smokey Robinson, the literal frontman and founder of Motown can agree to share the stage with the 49-year-old latino singer, how can anyone really be that upset? It is Smokey freaking Robinson.  When it was first announced that Lopez would be singing the Motown tribute, Robinson quickly rushed to her defense . “I don’t think anyone who is intelligent is upset. I think anyone who is upset is stupid,” the Motown legend told Variety .  But Twitter seems to think they could have done a better job at selecting an artist to represent the house of soul.  And it doesn’t involve a pop singer who wears a leotard on stage, unfortunately.  “J. Lo better not salsa her way to the cookout because she is uninvited for that terrible performance,” tweeted Jared Sawyer Jr. on Sunday. “How can you do a Motown tribute without an ALL BLACK cast of artists?! And it’s black history month too.” Sawyer then suggested that Knight, Stevie Wonder, Patti Labelle, Jennifer Hudson, Tina Turner, or “practically anyone else” could have taken Lopez’s place.  The Bronx singer performed hits like “Dancing in the Street,” “Do You Love Me,” “Money (That’s What I Want), “Please Mr. Postman” and more – while Smokey Robinson and Motown recording artist Ne-Yo joined Lopez during the set.  But, many of the complainers agreed it was more of a chance to celebrate J. Lo then Motown.  What Motown did for black artists was “monumental and groundbreaking” and laid the foundation for so many who have come since. “And there are so many amazing black artists out there today that could have killed a Motown tribute performance,” shared Toofab. And while Ne-Yo was there, it was brief.   If all of that wasn’t enough to upset users, and it was, they also felt as though Lopez was lip-synching throughout the entire set. So not only did they find the tribute inappropriate, but it may not have even been a live tribute. But whether or not that is true, she still gave a sincere performance because she too was inspired by the soulful music at a very young age. And honored it to her 73-year-old mom, Lupe.  “We used to dance around to this music,” she told E! on the Grammy’s pre-show red carpet , where she dedicated the performance to her mother.  “I grew up with this music and me and my sisters, the three of us, we were, like, the backups. We were The Temptations and we just sing with her and I feel it’s a dream come true.” We could all tell that the heartfelt shout out to her mom truly reflected throughout her performance.  And as for the haters, Smokey Robinson has one more question.  “Who’s stupid enough to protest Jennifer Lopez doing anything for Motown?”

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Jennifer Lopez Defends Her Grammys Motown Tribute And Dedicates It To Her Mom!