Coco Jones

Early life

Jones was born on January 4, 1998, the daughter of former NFL player Mike Jones and session vocalist Javonda Jones, and she was raised in Lebanon, Tennessee. Her brother, Mike Jones Jr. formerly played football for LSU. She has two other younger siblings, a sister Aja and brother Steven.

She performed "America the Beautiful" at her kindergarten graduation. At the age of nine, she met with the casting heads for Disney. After that, she became an actor and songwriter for the company.

Career

2006–2013: Early career with Disney and Hollywood Records

In 2006, she competed on Radio Disney, where she became known for her song, "Real You". In 2009, she was chosen to perform live on "The Most Talented Kids" episode of the Maury Povich Show. In 2011, she guest-starred on Disney Channel's television series So Random!. In 2010, Jones was the runner up during season 3 of Radio Disney's The Next Big Thing singing competition. Shortly after, she released her debut project Coco Jones, and began a concert tour revolving around the theme of anti-bullying called UBU-Stop the Bullying.

In June 2012, Jones played the lead role of Roxie in the television Disney movie, Let It Shine. The movie was the most watched Disney Channel Original Movie and most watched movie of the year for kids and tweens in 2012. Jones and the other main cast of Let It Shine performed at the 43rd Annual NAACP Image Awards Nominees Luncheon prior to the movie's release.

Jones signed a record deal with Hollywood Records and began working with Grammy-nominated producer Rob Galbraith, co-writing and recording all-new original music. Jones' debut single "Holla at the DJ" premiered on Radio Disney on December 6, 2012, with its release on iTunes the next day. The video for the track premiered on the Disney Channel on December 12, with a premiere on VEVO just afterwards. Her extended play Made Of was released on March 12, 2013, and it reached the top 10 of the Billboard Heatseekers chart. She toured with Mindless Behavior later that year. Jones performed with Mindless Behavior at Radio Disney's Radio Disney Music Awards, and took home an award for "Funniest Celebrity Take." Following the release of the EP, Jones worked in the studio with David Banner, Ester Dean, and Jukebox, with plans to release her debut album by August.

2014–2022: Independent music and acting roles

In 2014, Jones was dropped from Hollywood Records. In August 2014, she put out a video for the song, "Pepermint", and made it available on digital platforms a month later.

In July 2017, Jones was featured in a Fanta commercial. In April 2018, Jones was featured in 1950s-era jazz film, Flock of Four. In September of that year, she released a song, called "Just My Luck", along with its music video.

On September 3, 2019, Jones released a song, called "Depressed". On September 20, she released an 8-track EP, titled H.D.W.Y..

In August 2020, it was announced Jones will appear in the upcoming holiday film, White Elephant, and horror film, Vampires vs. the Bronx. In September 2020, Jones talked about her negative experiences in the industry with colorism. According to her, executives decided she was not marketable enough after featuring in Let It Shine. In November 2020, Jones released the single, "Hollyweird".

In September 2021, Jones was cast in Peacock drama series, Bel-Air, a reimagining of hit sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, in the role of Hilary Banks. The show would premiere in February 2022.

2022–present: Signing to Def Jam Recordings, ''What I Didn't Tell You'' and ''Why Not More?''

On March 20, 2022, Jones announced that she had signed a new artist deal with High Standardz and Def Jam Recordings. Her major label debut single "Caliber" was released on March 25, 2022, and also served as the lead single for her major label debut EP What I Didn't Tell You. After the release of the EP's second single, "ICU"; as well as the non-album Amazon Music exclusive single, "Love is War", the EP was released on November 4, 2022. Just a month prior to the EP's release, Jones was featured on Babyface's ninth album, Girls Night Out, contributing vocals to the song, "Simple". The music video for the song was also released a week later on October 31.

On January 20, 2023, Jones released the deluxe edition to her EP, which includes a song, "Simple", and three new tracks. Jones' single, "ICU", reached number 21 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, and peaked at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100, her first entry on both charts. On 30 January 2024, Jones signed an exclusive publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music. On February 10, Jones released "Love is War" on all streaming platforms, and four days later, released a Spotify-exclusive cover of "Until the End of Time" with Leon Thomas.

On April 6, 2024, Jones performed the National Anthem at night one of WrestleMania XL in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On August 9, Jones partnered with Disney for a reimagined release of Princess Tiana’s "Almost There". On August 16, Jones released a promotional single, "Sweep It Up", with an accompanying visualizer and lyric video. On November 22, Jones released her sixth extended play, Coco by the Fireplace. On April 25, 2025, Jones released her debut studio album, Why Not More?.

Musical style and influences

Jones has said that many famous artists have inspired her music. Some of her biggest musical influences include Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Aaliyah, Aretha Franklin, Brandy Norwood, Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion, Jazmine Sullivan, Britney Spears, Etta James, Roberta Flack, Jennifer Hudson, and CeCe Winans.

Personal life

On July 11, 2025, Jones announced her engagement to basketball player Donovan Mitchell.

Discography

Main article: Coco Jones discography

Studio album

• Why Not More? (2025)

Extended plays

• Coco Jones (2010)
• Made Of (2013)
• Let Me Check It (2017)
• H.D.W.Y. (2019)
• What I Didn't Tell You (2022)
• Coco by the Fireplace (2024)

Filmography

Live performances and tours

Stage acting

Tours

• What I Didn't Tell You Tour (2023)
• Why Not More? Tour (2025)

As a supporting act

• The Boy Is Mine Tour (2025) (Brandy and Monica)

Awards and nominations

References

References

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2. "Coco Jones Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More".
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6. Sriya, Bhwya. (2024-09-05). "Who Are Coco Jones' Siblings? All About NFL Star Mike Jones Jr. and More".
7. Mitchell, Gail. (2024-01-26). "How Coco Jones Went From Teen Disney Star to Grammy-Nominated R&B Singer-Songwriter".
8. Zelle, Veronica. (June 28, 2013). "Coco Jones Just Wants To Make People Dance!".
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13. Seidman, Robert. (June 16, 2012). "Disney Channel's 'Let It Shine' Divines 5.7 Million Viewers, Becomes #1 TV Movie of the Year with Kids and Tweens". TVbytheNumbers.
14. (February 16, 2012). "Disney Stars perform at the 43rd Annual NAACP Luncheon".
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24. (October 3, 2018). "Coco Jones Talks Confidence and Self-Love On New Single, "Just My Luck"".
25. (October 2, 2019). "Coco Jones Releases New EP "H.D.W.Y.": Streaming".
26. (September 9, 2020). "Vampires vs. the Bronx Comes to Netflix October 2nd".
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33. (February 15, 2022). "5 Things Bel-Air Star Coco Jones Can't Live Without".
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37. (March 25, 2022). "Coco Jones, Mary J. Blige, Eli Derby And More Release New R&B Songs".
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42. (March 28, 2023). "Hot 100 First-Timers: Coco Jones Debuts With Love Song 'ICU'".
43. (30 January 2024). "FIVE-TIME GRAMMY NOMINEE COCO JONES SIGNS PUBLISHING DEAL WITH WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC".
44. "Grammy Award winning Multi-hyphenate artist Coco Jones sings the National Anthem at #WrestleMania 🔥 she did so amazing and the crowd was HUGE! there's nothing but praise for this performance the wrestling fans love her 😂 🤼‍♀️".
45. (April 5, 2024). "Coco Jones To Set Off WrestleMania XL With National Anthem Performance".
46. "Coco Jones sings the National Anthem at Wrestlemania.".
47. (August 29, 2024). "Coco Jones - Almost There (Lyric Video)".
48. (22 November 2024). "Coco Jones Brings Holiday Cheer with 'Coco By The Fireplace'".
49. (2025-04-24). "Coco Jones is fearless on debut album 'Why Not More?'".
50. Irvin, Jack. (July 11, 2025). "Coco Jones and Donovan Mitchell Announce They're Engaged After 2 Years of Dating".
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