Courtney Michaela Ann "Coco" Jones (born January 4, 1998) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Born in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

and raised in

Lebanon, Tennessee Lebanon ( ) is the county seat of Wilson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 38,431 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in Middle Tennessee, approximately east of downtown Nashville. Lebanon is part of the Nashville Metro ...

, Jones began auditioning as a child to pursue a career in entertainment. She first appeared on the competition series ''Radio Disney's Next Big Thing'' (2010–11), which led to her signing with the company's

Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by the Disney Music Group which focuses on pop, rock, alternative, hip hop and country genres, also specializing in recordings for a more mature audience not suitable for the flagship Wal ...

and being cast in several

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

properties as recurring roles including the sketch comedy ''

So Random! ''So Random!'' is an American sketch comedy series that aired on Disney Channel from June 5, 2011, to March 25, 2012. It was announced as an independent series after Demi Lovato left the parent series, '' Sonny with a Chance''. The series fea ...

'' (2011–12) and the sitcom ''

Good Luck Charlie ''Good Luck Charlie'' is an American sitcom that aired on Disney Channel from April 4, 2010, to February 16, 2014. It focuses on the Duncan family of Denver as they adjust to the births of their fourth and later fifth children, Charlotte "Char ...

'' (2012–13). She had her

breakthrough role A breakthrough role, also known as a breakout role, is a term in the theatre, film and television industry to describe the performance of an actor or actress which contributed significantly to the development of their career and beginning of crit ...

as Roxanne "Roxy" Andrews in the 2012

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

television film '' Let It Shine'', where she co-starred with

Tyler James Williams Tyler James Williams (born October 9, 1992) is an American actor and rapper. He began his career as a child actor, making several appearances on ''Saturday Night Live'', ''Little Bill'', and ''Sesame Street''. Williams later rose to prominence ...

and lent her vocals to the

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

. She returned to a recording career in 2022, signing with High Standardz and

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

and releasing her single, " ICU", in October of that year. The single was her first to enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, received

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

certification by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA), and won

Best R&B Performance The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is designed for s ...

at the

66th Annual Grammy Awards The 66th Annual Grammy Awards honored the best recordings, compositions, and artists from October 1, 2022, to September 15, 2023, as chosen by the members of The Recording Academy, on February 4, 2024. In its 21st year at the Crypto.com Arena ...

. The award was among five total nominations she received at the

—which included a nomination for

Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since the 2nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1960 (except in 1967) "for a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that ar ...

. That same year, she was cast in the starring role for the

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

drama series ''Bel-Air'' (2022–present). In 2025, she released her debut studio album, ''

Why Not More? ''Why Not More?'' is the debut studio album by American actress and singer-songwriter Coco Jones, released on April 25, 2025, by Def Jam. The album features guest appearances from Future and YG Marley. Production was handled by various producer ...

'', which was supported by the two time Grammy nominated lead-single "

Here We Go (Uh Oh) American singer Coco Jones has released one studio album, six extended plays, twenty-six singles (including five as a featured artist), as well as several other features on film and television soundtracks. Her first appearance was on her debut ...

". Her other accolades include a

BET Award The BET Awards are an American award show that was established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate Black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which are presented annu ...

and an

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

Early life

Jones was born on January 4, 1998, in

to former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

player Mike Jones and session vocalist Javonda Jones, but raised in

. Her brother, Mike Jones Jr., is a current

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

linebacker. 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 Radio Disney was an American radio network operated by the Disney Radio Networks unit of Disney Branded Television within Disney General Entertainment Content, headquartered in Burbank, California. The network broadcast music programming ...

, 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

's television series ''

''. 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 Since its launch on April 18, 1983, American cable and satellite pay television channel Disney Channel airs and/or releases/distributes original first-run television films under the banner names of Disney Channel Premiere Films until October 1 ...

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 The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

Nominees Luncheon prior to the movie's release. Jones signed a record deal with

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 Mindless Behavior was an American boy band who were best known for the singles " My Girl" and " Mrs. Right", produced by Walter Millsap. The band was put together in Los Angeles in 2008, by Keisha Gamble, Vincent Herbert and Walter Millsap. The ba ...

later that year. Jones performed with Mindless Behavior at

'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 Lavell William Crump (born April 11, 1974), known professionally as David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Banner's family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where he was raised. Banner gra ...

Ester Dean Esther Renay Dean (born April 15, 1982), known professionally as Ester Dean, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. She rose to prominence as a pop songwriter in the late 2000s and wrote numerous hit songs for singers including R ...

, and Jukebox, with plans to release her debut album by August.

2014–2022: Independent music and acting roles

In January 2014, Jones was dropped from Hollywood Records and recordings shelved. 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 ''Vampires vs. the Bronx'' is a 2020 American comedy horror, comedy black horror film directed by Oz Rodriguez and written by Rodriguez and Blaise Hemingway. The film follows a group of teenagers who are forced to protect their neighborhood in th ...

''. In September 2020, Jones talked about her negative experiences in the industry with

colorism Discrimination based on skin tone, also known as colorism or shadeism, is a form of prejudice and discrimination in which individuals of the same race receive benefits or disadvantages based on the color of their skin. More specifcally, coloris ...

. 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

drama series, '' Bel-Air'', a reimagining of hit sitcom, ''

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz that aired on NBC from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart ...

'', in the role of Hilary Banks. The show would premiere in February 2022.

2022–present: Signing to Def Jam Recordings and ''What I Didn't Tell You''

On March 20, 2022, Jones announced that she had signed a new artist deal with High Standardz and

. 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 ''What I Didn't Tell You'' is the fifth extended play by American singer and actress Coco Jones. It was released on November 4, 2022, by High Standardz and Def Jam Recordings, marking Jones' second major label release since 2013's ''Made Of'' (whi ...

''. After the release of the EP's second single, " ICU"; as well as the non-album

Amazon Music Amazon Music (previously Amazon MP3) is a music streaming platform and digital music store operated by Amazon. As of January 2020, the service had 55 million subscribers. It was the first music store to sell music without digital rights manag ...

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 Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

'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 A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (previously known as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay) is a chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the top R&B and hip hop songs in the United States, based on audience impressions from a panel of radio stations monitored ...

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 Warner Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company and a subsidiary of the Warner Music Group. Warner Chappell Music's catalog consists of over 1.4 million compositions and 150,000 composers, with offices in over 40 countries. ...

. On February 10, Jones released "Love is War" on all streaming platforms, and four days later, released a

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

-exclusive cover of " Until the End of Time" with

Leon Thomas Amos Leon Thomas Jr. (October 4, 1937 – May 8, 1999), known professionally as Leon Thomas, was an American jazz and blues vocalist, born in East St. Louis, Illinois, and known for his bellowing glottal-stop style of free jazz singing in the ...

. On April 6, 2024, Jones performed the National Anthem at night one of

WrestleMania XL WrestleMania XL was a 2024 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 40th annual WrestleMania and took place as a two-night event on Saturd ...

in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On August 9, Jones partnered with

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

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, ''

''.

Artistry

Jones has cited her biggest musical influences as

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final lineup comprised Beyoncé, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams (singer), Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Hou ...

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

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Brandy Norwood Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, model and actress. Born into a musical family in McComb, Mississippi, Norwood was raised in Carson, California, beginning her career as a backing vocalist ...

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

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Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( ; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the " Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, p ...

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, and

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and entrepreneur. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Qu ...

Discography

Studio albums * ''

'' (2025) Extended plays * ''Coco Jones'' (2010) * ''Made Of'' (2013) * ''Let Me Check It'' (2017) * ''H.D.W.Y.'' (2019) * ''

'' (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)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Radio Disney profile
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Coco 1998 births Living people 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American women singers Actresses from Columbia, South Carolina Actresses from Nashville, Tennessee African-American child actresses African-American women singer-songwriters American child actresses American child pop musicians American child singers American contemporary R&B singers American dance musicians American film actresses American hip-hop singers American television actresses American women pop singers American women singer-songwriters Def Jam Recordings artists Musicians from Columbia, South Carolina People from Lebanon, Tennessee Singer-songwriters from Tennessee Singer-songwriters from South Carolina Singers from Nashville, Tennessee Southern hip-hop musicians