Coco Jones is more than ready to put on a show at this year’s GRAMMY Awards! When 360aproko Cassie DiLaura spoke with the first-time GRAMMY nominee on the red carpet of Spotify’s 2024 Best New Artist Party on Thursday, Jones admitted that she still hasn’t processed her five nominations.
“I think it will hit me once they call my name,” the Bel-Air star confessed. “I’m trying to keep it positive, but you know my mom is here, and I’m really happy for her. I’m living through her eyes, and she just, she was the team before the team, so it’s really wonderful.”
She added, “Being nominated for a Grammy is such a level that I could never reach on my own, so to have that attached to my name, it opens so many doors. And I think it just puts a level of respect on what I do.”
It’s been a rollercoaster for the singer since she released her EP, What I Didn’t Tell You, in 2022. Jones has gone on to earn the Best New Artist title at the 2023 BET Awards as well as her nominations for Best R&B Performance, Best Traditional R&B Performance, Best R&B Song and Best R&B Album from the GRAMMYs.
She was also honored in the elite and elusive Best New Artist category. She is nominated alongside newcomers like Ice Spice, Noah Kahan, Victoria Monet and Jelly Roll.
Her mother, Javonda, has been by her side for it all, so it’s no surprise that the 26-year-old artist will “absolutely” be bringing her along as her plus-one for the big night. It’s also no surprise that Jones has something special planned when it comes to her look for music’s big night.
“I’m just going to say it’s custom; it fits me like a glove, and I’m just excited to make a moment in time,” the T and Coco host teased, adding that she sees “two” looks in her future.
Jones is all about manifesting, from hearing her name get called from the GRAMMYs stage as a winner to envisioning further success in the new year. “I’m really big on speaking life over yourself; I feel like your tongue is powerful. Your tongue can control your destiny,” she told 360aproko. “So for the next year, I want my album to be [at] the top of the charts, Top 10 singles, and the Top 5.”
And speaking of albums, the singer reveals that she’s working on her debut album and the goal is “to have the album out by this summer.”
“I think [I’m] taking the limits off of myself,” she said of her upcoming project. “My debut EP, I was so like, ‘Ew,’ and now I just want to be like, ‘Yeah!’
It’s a regular fairytale journey for Jones, who made her breakthrough as a teen actress in the Disney Channel film Let It Shine, and although the film was a hit, the star’s career didn’t have the rise that she’d hoped for.
In a YouTube live stream posted in September 2020 that went viral amongst her fans, Jones openly shared that the initially proposed sequel for the film fell through and claimed she didn’t receive the same support as her fellow Disney Channel stars despite her immense talent.
But the singer saw a change in opportunities after she made a 2021 appearance on the YouTube web series, The Terrell Show, hosted by Terrell Grice. Soon after, Jones landed her starring roles as Hilary Banks in Bel-Air, Paramount’s spin-off of the hit ’90s TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, leading to her own YouTube web series, T and Coco, alongside co-host Grice, and dropping her fifth EP.
Now, Jones is taking in the awards and making her debut at the GRAMMYs. 360aproko previously spoke with her on the red carpet of the 2023 BET Awards, where she was incredibly humble about her hard-earned success.
“It’s really a success for all of us,” Jones said, referring to her mother and sister.
Reflecting on her journey, she added, “It’s honestly humbling, and I hope that I forever stay this humble because I really do feel like just a regular girl from the middle of nowhere in Tennessee who fought for her dreams and I will always fight for my dreams. And I’ll fight for the next girl so that it doesn’t have to be so hard. It’s not easy but it’s worth it; I wouldn’t be able to appreciate these moments and really savor them if I hadn’t remembered just trying to sneak in, you know?”
The 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, and will broadcast and stream live on CBS and Paramount+. Follow along at360aproko for everything you need to get ready for music’s biggest night, including how to watch, GRAMMY performers and more.
