Now That You Know the New Coco Jones, She's Ready to Give You More

Coco Jones is booked and very busy. In a week filled with multiple performances (she wrapped up part one of her first solo tour), photo shoots, fashion-week appearances, and a presenting gig at the MTV Video Music Awards, you’d be hard-pressed to find a moment where the musician and actor wasn’t showing up and showing out. It’s that kind of hustle and steadfast dedication to her craft that has gotten Jones where she is today—she’s one of the most exciting new R&B singer/songwriters in the business. In the midst of all the controlled chaos, we did find a brief period of downtime for Jones to chat about her landmark year and a half and what’s coming up for the rising artist. Spoiler alert: a lot. 

"I feel like preparation met opportunity,” Jones tells me of the divine timing of her current career success. Things kicked off early last year when the 25-year-old came out with a starring role in the Peacock series Bel-Air—a reimagining of the hit ’90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air—and signed an artist deal with High Standardz/Def Jam Recordings, both within a month of each other. After years of putting in the work, it was finally coming together for Jones in a really big way. She quickly became one of the buzziest names in music and Hollywood. "I think a little bit of it was overwhelming because I had spent so much time wanting these things to happen and just going with it, even though it wasn’t working out that way,” Jones says of laying the groundwork. "It’s not like I wasn’t over here dying for these things to happen and living like they were, even though that wasn’t reality, so I was ready but shook a little bit that it was happening now.”

Prior to signing with High Standardz/Def Jam Recordings, Jones had been recording independently for about eight years. Before that, she gained notoriety as a tween with a recurring role on Disney Channel’s musical sketch comedy series So Random! and later starred in the network’s TV movie Let It Shine. Jones grew up watching fellow Disney alum Raven-Symoné seemingly do it all (acting, singing, and dancing across TV, film, and commercials, all while showing her bold personality) and set her mind to a similar multi-hyphenate career. "I was the opposite of camera shy. I was camera hungry,” she laughs. In 2013, she released her first EP Made Of but later parted ways with her label Hollywood Records because it wasn’t a creative fit. 

The deal with High Standardz/Def Jam Recordings couldn’t have come at a better time for the Tennessee native. Jones was coming into her own as an artist and finally felt understood by a team that could elevate her sound and take her to the next level. They immediately got the vision. 

That vision was to show the multiple facets of Coco Jones the musician—her personality, her talents, her voice. She’s not just the kid you know from Disney or that character you’re seeing on TV. "I didn’t want anyone trying to make me into anything gimmicky,” she says. "Just let me be what I’m actually really good at and help me nurture that.”

Jones’s strength as an artist lies in her buttery vocals and sultry, soulful sound, which is showcased in her debut EP What I Didn’t Tell You. The collection of songs is not only a reintroduction of Jones but also a reflection of her real-life experiences—falling in love, experiencing heartbreak, going to the club with her friends. "These stories, I haven’t told people because they’re mine. They’re not a TV show,” she says. Jones came out strong with her debut single "Caliber,” which she says was the first song off the EP to really flow creatively and was sonically more mature than her previous music. She followed that up with gold-certified smash hit "ICU,” which landed Jones her first number one spot on Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. Jones continued to hit the high notes from there. In June, she beat out Ice Spice and Glorilla to win BET’s coveted Best New Artist award. Sparking early Grammys buzz, What I Didn’t Tell You racked up over 300 million streams across all platforms, landing her on many industry "artists to watch” lists, and she embarked on a 16-city solo tour in August. 

At the time of our call, she had only two shows remaining. "I’m really satisfied truthfully,” she says of the overall experience on the road. "I learned a lot just about the creative [aspect], and it’s really inspired me for this debut album and what that world is going to be. Overall, it’s a lot of work, but it’s really rewarding. Every night seeing the crowd, it’s lovely.”

I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask Jones about the fashion vision for her first-ever tour. I had seen glimpses of her looks on social media—a shimmering bodysuit here, a gorgeous caramel two-piece set there. She flashes a smile at the question and shares that the mood for the tour, the Coco Jones world rather, is chocolatey velvet with, of course, a ’90s energy to it. She specifically calls out a diamond-encrusted matching set as one of her favorites. "I don’t know where else I’m going to wear this outfit, but I’m going to get a couple uses out of it,” she says.

Each look was a collaboration between Jones and her stylist Jyotisha (Joy) Bridges, whom she met on a magazine shoot. The two instantly clicked on set and have been working closely together ever since. For Jones, it’s all about surrounding herself with a creative team she can fully trust and who will go above and beyond to make sure she is putting her best foot forward visually, and Bridges ticked that box.

Offstage, Jones says she is much more casual. She loves getting dressed up to go out with her girls, but more often than not, you’ll find her in a comfy hoodie or cute workout set. Come fall, a Jones fashion staple is a great pair of leather leggings. "I feel like you can dress that down with a cute sneaker and a crop top [and] go to the studio or a heel moment [and] go to the club. Or you can do a nice little bodysuit or blouse [and] go to an event,” she says. 

A versatile piece that can suit a myriad of occasions is ideal for a woman on the go like Jones, who has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. Next month, she will kick off the second leg of her What I Didn’t Tell You U.S. tour. Plus, more music is on the horizon. Now that she knows what’s been working and what her fans are loving, she is eager to get back into the studio to work on her debut album, which she says will be a much bolder showing than the EP. When her schedule permits and the ongoing writer and actor strikes come to an end, Jones looks forward to getting back to her show. For now, Jones is doing what she does best, staying on top of the hustle and serving killer looks along the way.

What I Didn’t Tell You is streaming on all music platforms. 

Photographer: Kat Irlin

Stylist: Jan-Michael Quammie

Fashion Director: Sara Holzman

Hairstylist: Devontaé Washington

Makeup Artist: Diana Shin

Manicurist: Ada Kiss 

VP of Creative: Alexa Wiley

Art Director: Brittany Holloway-Brown

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