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Coco Jones called in to chat with Audacy Atlanta V-103’s Big Tigger, to talk all about her first VMA nomination, Bel-Air, her brand new single “Sweep It Up,” and more.
LISTEN NOW: The Big Tigger Morning Show — Coco Jones
“It's so so exciting,” Coco expressed about her VMA nom. “I mean… I cannot believe how different my life is now and how much more recognition I've gotten. I'm so grateful for it.”
Listing off her accolades, which in addition to her latest nomination, includes a GRAMMY award, a BET Award, and singing her “face off at the BET Awards during the Usher tribute,” Tigger asked Jones, what the latter was like.
“That was so cool to be a part of. I think it was really refreshing to see BET uplift, of course, Usher, the talented. But also to give all of us R&B girls, and Latto — give us all a different way of shining our light but in a cohesive manner.”
Talking about working with Disney again on a reimagined track for The Princess and the Frog, Coco shared, “It was really exciting to get to work with Disney again. They were the first company to really see something in me and give me that opportunity to do my thing.”
“And I love Princess Tiana,” she continued. “I mean, Black Princess, of course the representation, but also her storyline is really awesome. And being able to like make it modern, and maybe reintroduce her in a different way or introduce her to girls who listen to me and maybe haven't listened to a Princess Tiana song, it’s really cool to do.”
“That's a big thing that I like to do is, you know, pay homage to the classics, whether it's classic R&B, A classic Princess, and put my spin on things,” added Coco, who also puts her own spin on the character of Hilary Banks on The Fresh Price re-imagined series Bel-Air.
With so much recent success, Tigger asked Coco outright, “Are you where you thought you'd be?”
"That is a great question,” she answered, saying, “It depends on what year of thought because my brain and my expectations changed all the time. I would say my nine-year-old self would say I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be and if not, she'd be like you need to do more.”
“But me, the young adult, I think I am where I'm supposed to be because I learned so much about myself through the peaks and valleys, that I don't think I would have had enough of an identity had I not been through my journey.”
Sharing what the hardest part of that journey has been, Jones expressed, “the hardest part is loving what you do,” Even when, “not having the recognition, not having the attention, not having the support.”
Another hard part, Coco added, “is not having the right team, because the right team can help you learn to pace yourself and appreciate the time that it takes to really make or break.”
These days Coco can check all of those boxes — loving what she does, check. Having recognition, check. Surrounded by a good team, check. All of which applies as her role as Hillary Banks on Bel-Air is officially back for Season 3.
“I think this is the first job where I felt like comfortable,” Jones said of the Peacock series. “I think of course, at the beginning when I first got the job, I was like, please don't change your mind. But as I've gotten to really learn who Hillary has been for other girls. And learn how my team, and how my production with Bel-Air how they see Hillary through me. I've really gotten comfortable in feeling like I deserve this job and this opportunity and it leaves me with this feeling of freedom to be able to not hold back and to not overthink and to really give my best work.”
As for balancing both being an actress and a singer, Coco admitted, “honestly, the strike was the first time where I was able to shift acting completely off and just do music. My whole journey as an artist I've been an actress and a singer. So it's always been both things simultaneously.”
“So, yeah, I think life helps me to balance it out and then, everything comes in seasons like you can't film a show the entire year. You know, you can't do music the entire year, there’s always windows.” But if she had to choose one over the other, Coco said, “I’m gonna go with music.”
Speaking of music, to close out their conversation, Coco told Tigger all about her new song, “Sweep It Up,” officially out everywhere today.
“I feel like I've gotten so much recognition and love for my voice and for those soulful, powerful songs. But there's different elements of me that I want to introduce to the world. And so ‘Sweep It Up’ is a different side of me, that is very me… The side of me that talks her s***, who's really confident, and who wants to dance and have fun and be carefree,” Coco said of the brand new track.
“You know, not everything is heartbreak and not everything is heavy. Some stuff is just light and simple, so ‘Sweep It Up’ for me is a different version of Coco that I'm excited for the world to hear.”
Coco also went on to talk about her random thoughts, the importance of voting, tease that she’s finalizing her album and going on tour, plus more. To catch it all listen to the entire interview above.