If her near-lifelong career is any indication, Coco Jones has put in the work. As a kid, the Tennessee native sang Whitney Houston covers at Nashville talent shows before rising as a Disney star in the 2012 film “Let It Shine.” After parting ways with Disney’s record label, the now 26-year-old regrouped, releasing music independently and then signing with High Standardz/Def Jam in 2022. Since then, she’s reemerged as an R&B scion with her breakthrough “What I Didn’t Tell You” EP and its neo-soul single “ICU,” balancing a sold-out international tour with a role on Peacock’s “Bel-Air.” Up next: five Grammy nominations, including best new artist, and a much clearer vision.
How did you react to getting five Grammy nominations?
It was so funny. When I learned I was nominated, I was actually on a plane and I was asleep and my phone kept vibrating, and I was like wow, this turbulence is really something. I was like you know what? Let me wake up. I looked at my phone and had all these congratulations texts and so many people were like, “Five!” I was like, what is five? And then when I finally landed and I could call people, I learned the amount of nominations I had and it really blew me away. I think the whole thing is, to get one is such a surreal feeling. But then to have five? It’s hard to describe. It feels crazy.
What’s been the wildest thing that’s happened in the wake of these nominations?
I think it’s all pretty wild, I gotta be honest with you. Living in these dreams is always wild. But I think one of the most surreal moments I’ve recently had was going on tour and doing sold-out shows in Europe. Seeing people sing my lyrics and they don’t even know English. That was really crazy to me, really inspiring.
You’re nominated for best new artist, but you’ve been working since you were a kid. How does it feel to be considered new at this point?
I feel like I’m prepared, but I am a new person and I don’t want people to assume that I’m only that one little girl from the Disney channel. I didn’t feel that way myself. It was, to me, reintroducing myself to the world. It all did feel very new to me. But also deja vu to me.
Deja vu? In what sense?
Being on press tours and touring and going from a studio to being on set. When you’re doing Disney channel films, you’re going to act and probably sing and dance. Balancing all of those worlds kind of feels like deja vu.
You came up performing in Nashville at a young age. Did you feel like an alternative to the country scene?
I think being in Nashville taught me a lot. Having to perform live with a bunch of grown musicians, you’ve got to learn how to put on a show. And I also think it also taught me about lyrics. I think country music has some amazing lyrics, and I got to work with songwriters who maybe this was their first time working on anything R&B. But it can teach you a lot to see other people’s strategies and how they create and I think there are so many successful country artists that it’s still inspiring, even if that’s not the genre I was going to be in. To me, it’s like, they’re from here and they made it. I can make it too, just in R&B.
Did you ever consider going the country route yourself?
I feel like I could see myself venturing out and having songs that extend to multiple different genres. And if I tap into a little country? Then I tap in.
“What I Didn’t Tell You” is your breakthrough project. It feels like a rebirth, a reintroduction, so when you’re going into working on this project, is that how you envisioned it was going to be communicated?
I envisioned reintroducing myself to the world and who I wanted them to see me as. I think it was also very strategic because a lot of people have seen me on “Bel-Air” or know me from TV, so to make songs that really cut through, you just have to be very strategic. I feel like there was a lot of good that came with already being known and having that nostalgia effect, but it’s a challenge, too, to rebrand, and I think my team really helped me to find that right combination of everything.
Why release an EP at this point in your career, rather than a debut album?
I had a lot that I still needed to learn as a creative. That, to me, would have been a little premature. I think having a team like I do with Def Jam and High Standardz, it helps me to see that you don’t just have to rush and do things. I don’t just have to rush and put out an album. I can take my time and learn more about my craft. I can let more people learn about me. So that was kind of the idea there, to not make anything feel too rushed.
Listening to the record, it’s very clear that you’re a student of R&B. You have the SWV “Rain” sample, you reference Ginuwine’s “Pony,” you perform “Rain” during concerts. How did you incorporate that into the music that you do?
I listen to a lot of powerhouse singers, because my mom was basically my team. She told me that if I could sing these songs by women like Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Cece Winans, I could sing anything. I had some very challenging songs to learn as a little girl walking into these auditions, but it taught me so much, just about the feeling that music is supposed to and can give. It’s powerful.
“ICU” is a massive hit for you. Did you feel that the record had this special element, that it was going to be able to connect with as many people as it did?
I knew that a song like “ICU” can always connect with people, just because it feels really powerful. I sang songs that feel that way ever since I was a kid, and it has that similar feeling to me of, this is just a powerful song. I was more curious… Would it work now? And I wasn’t sure.
You’ve been through a lot of ups and downs. Were you ever disillusioned by how your career was unfolding?
only thing that is worth anything will cost something. Damn, the Southern really just jumped out! I’m not trying to do anything easy right now. It’s just not going to be easy. But I have to do this. Maybe that was the main feeling of craziness. I must keep going in this! You have to be a little crazy, because it’s uncomfortable at times, it doesn’t make sense at times and it’s illogical at times. But the payoff is worth all of the uncertainty.
You’re obviously very busy. How do you balance it all?
You don’t get a break unless you request it, so for me, I request breaks. If it’s a day where I don’t have something to do, I can always do work. But sometimes, I have to not so that the next time I do work, I can give myself fully to it and it’ll be quality. Sometimes I think it helps my business for me to stop for a day or two. So those are breaks I request to keep things balanced, and also to live my life so I have things to write about. You can’t live from always writing. Like, I need to go to the club guys! Bye!
The tweets were talking, and they were talking about how a lot of people wanted to see you play Tiana in the live-action version of “The Princess and the Frog.” Is that something you’d consider ever wanting to do?
Absolutely. Disney princesses have always held a special place in my heart, because I consider myself a princess. But it would be historic to be able to play Tiana. The representation that it would mean for young black women, even to watch the animation to me was so inspiring, to see that representation. And now we have Halle who’s Ariel. It’s this movement that’s evolving, and I’d love to be part of it. That’d be amazing.
Not to mention it’d be very full circle for you.
That would be a very full circle. Very.
What about the album? What’s the latest?
I’m always thinking album, especially now that I’ve just finished my tour. I’m just so inspired. To me, I don’t want people to think they know what I’m gonna do. Because it just won’t be what you think. It just can’t be. I’m just too competitive with myself. I’m just trying a lot of different things, a lot of different concepts and sounds and I’ll know when it’s ready. But I’m definitely finding some very exciting songs that I can’t wait to show the world.
What are you most looking forward to about this year?
I’m trying to see where these Grammys go and hopefully one will be at my mama’s house because I won. And I think just continue to grow. I’m such a businesswoman, I’m a very hard worker, I have very strict goals for myself and I just want to dream bigger this year. It’s kind of like a lot of the dreams happened already, so now they’re reality, so let’s get some new dreams. Let’s dream bigger.
