If you just read the top lines of Coco Jones’s story, you could easily mistake it for a best-case-scenario child star story. After starting out on the Disney channel, today she has a starring role in Bel-Air, a Will Smith-produced reboot of the ’90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reimagined as a drama, which was recently renewed for its third season. Her debut EP What I Didn’t Tell You is a deliciously modern twist on smooth and soulful old-school R&B, with tracks produced by London on da Track and Babyface, and hit number one of the Apple Music charts. She has co-signs from SZA and Janet Jackson. But her journey has had enough loops to rival a theme park ride.
After Coco burst onto the scene in 2012 with a lead role in Disney film Let It Shine, the South Carolina-born, Tennessee-raised triple-threat found herself on the fast-track to super-stardom. A sequel to the film was mooted, as well as her own show, and she had just been signed to a record label. “As a child star, it was all like a fairytale. I got to live a dream and play characters that were so fun, like dress up,” she says. “It just looked like my world was never going to change – it was always gonna get crazier and crazier.”
Until, that is, the label tried to force her into cookie-cutter formulas. “When I did put my personality in songs, I’d have to dial it back, because it was too much.” Coco treated it like a role: “I was acting like a singer, singing songs that I didn’t really like.” When both the planned TV show and film suddenly fell through, “the record label only knew how to market through TV shows… so trying to figure out how to market me, a Black girl who already didn’t fit into these formulas, it all just started to deteriorate.” The label dropped her too.
The fairytale castle that had felt so solid under her feet had washed away. “It was just shocking, I thought so many things were going to happen.” she says. “As I got older… you don’t want to lose such a good thing, you know? So when you don’t get the jobs, it’s less fun, it’s more painful,” she explains. “You forget how magical it was.”
Still, she tried to rebuild. She looks back at the independent music she made in those teenage years as immature (“I hadn’t really lived yet”), and auditioning for acting jobs wore her out. “There’s a lot of colourism in the industry. You can be just as talented, but because you don’t look the part, it will never be your part.”
Joining TikTok in 2020 changed everything for Coco. Her covers, singing original verses on classic songs, earned millions of likes and got people talking about her again. “Once people were seeing me on their phone screens, they were reaching out.” A manager introduced her to High Standardz, part of Def Jam, who signed her. Around the same time, she booked a role as Hilary Banks in Bel-Air. “My whole life changed in one year.”
Many Black ’90s sitcoms (Fresh Prince included) became infamous for replacing dark-skinned female characters with light-skinned actresses. Seeing Coco as the glamorous Hilary, first played by Karyn Parsons, meant a lot to so many girls. “I get a lot of support,” she says. “Black women are so happy to see themselves represented in this way.”
Despite the ups and downs, Jones wouldn’t change a thing about her journey. “God makes things happen in a way better than I ever could. I’ll rarely ever understand why, I just have to roll with it,” she says. She hopes her own path will make it easier for others to follow in her footsteps. “I want to make new standards for Black girls. There’s nothing we can’t do. I want to open the door for them to have an easier journey.”
Where were you pulling from for your EP What I Didn’t Tell You?
Stories that I wanted to share with an audience just learning about me [for the first time], and stories that I wanted to share with people who have known me since I was a kid. It’s an introduction, drawn from real stories that make up who I am and who I’ve become.
Which tracks mean the most to you?
It changes every day but “Double Back” has always been one of my faves. If I’m in the mood to dance, then probably “Crazy for Me”.
Why has “Double Back” been a consistent one for you?
It has that nostalgic feel to it. We sampled the SWV song and I know my voice reminds people of back-in-the-day R&B, which I do feel is a big part of me. Also, the coming of age story. It’s what me and my girls go through: being indecisive about a guy. He’s sure about them and you’re like: “Argh, I don’t know if I want to be outside or be in a relationship.”
Yes, your music does have an old-school grounding, who inspires you?
When I was growing up, because my mom was my team, the songs that I would learn for auditions were also ones she knew, so I listened to a lot of Whitney, Aretha – soulful artists. As I got older, I found my own songs that really inspired me – all the R&B girls like Summer Walker, SZA and Ella Mai.
You hosted an International Women’s Day dinner here in London and met a lot of UK female music talent, like Debbie, Bellah and Ayra Starr right?
Yes! A lot of them I recognised, so it was really cool to have them come out on my behalf.
Who are some of your UK favourites?
We got to go see a Raye concert while I was there, and she was so good! There’s this other artist Ray BLK that I really love, and Jorja Smith. I listened to a lot of Bellah so when she came to my dinner, I was like, girl, oh my gosh, I’ve been listening to your music!
What was your experience of child stardom?
The fame part I did not like. I remember feeling really uncomfortable in places where I used to feel normal, because people would be staring at me, and I did not understand why. I’d be eating with my family and kids would come up and ask for pictures. I was like, “What are y’all talking about? We all at the same Applebee’s!”
I didn’t get the draw. I just wanted to do the things that I enjoyed, then hang out with my friends and be normal. But, as I got older, I realised it’s just part of it. People see you on a TV screen and you’re not normal anymore. I had to accept that it’s what comes with my passions. I still don’t like it to this day, but it’s just part of the job.
What part of fame don’t you like today?
I don’t like that people disassociate somebody on TV with a normal person. That’s why people go crazy! Because they do so much stuff in the limelight, then people forget that they’re a human being, then they forget that they’re a human being because nobody around them treats them like one, and go crazy.
How do you stay grounded?
Because I had those highs of momentum as a kid, the lows really humbled me. I thought it was never going to be low again, so when it was, I was like, “Oh, wow, all of this can go away – let me make sure that this has nothing to do with my identity at all.” It’s too dangerous to place all of my heart into it, you know? So another thing that keeps me grounded is realising this is all temporary. I know it personally.
What kept you motivated?
Fear of giving up, honestly. There was a lot of fear. I wish I could go back and be like, “Girl, you’re scared for no reason, it’s all gonna work out, stop.” But you never know in the moment. I was too scared to give up, more than I was scared to keep going. I didn’t want to be like, “Man, what would have happened?” I can’t live with regret like that.
Who were your role models growing up?
In this industry, you meet your heroes, and you’re not really supposed to do that… My mum is the only one I really looked up to, because I knew her character.
What do you think of all the calls for you to play Tiana in the live action The Princess and the Frog?
It’s really exciting that a lot of my fans are rooting for me, and it’s fun to watch the world talk about it. Even seeing a Black princess become such a hot topic – I would’ve loved to see that coming up in my early career. I do hope I get to represent such an amazing princess one day… I loved the film growing up because Tiana can sing and looked like me, which inspired me. Also every time I go to Louisiana, I get beignets because she loved them. And I love the message: a lot of times, when it comes to love, people are superficial, but it’s really about looking at the character of a person. Who they are, aside from the exterior.