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It’s hard to scroll your timeline without hearing Coco Jones’ melodic voice or seeing her slay at fashion week around the world. She might be accepting an award for best new artist because she deserves it. Whatever it is, she’s shining bright. She continues to evolve into a true musical force.
Before hopping on The Color Purple soundtrack shrieking about how her “Tummy Hurts” with biblical bars, she was earning the respect of musical heavyweights like Babyface, she was also finding a way to tell modern stories about the dark side of the creator economy on the small screen as this generation’s addition to the bougie Black girl cannon.
The songstress has gone from Disney kid to chart-topper right before our eyes, and it has been glorious to watch her glow-up. Her journey is full of the kind of inspiration we should all want to take into 2024 with us.
Coco Jones 2023
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Flawless skin, well-hydrated bundles, and enviable personal style help with it-girl package. But true it-girls are dripping with undeniable talents. Jones’ voice and acting abilities are unmatched. Her impersonations are unreal.
She has a beautiful and soothing tone. It is genre-defying, and she can slip in and out of different spaces easily while remaining authentically herself.
Her live performances are top-tier as well. When Mother Nature opened up the skies on Broccoli City, Jones continued to give the crowd a show by singing the SWV classic “Rain.” The vocals and moves were impressive, but it was the joy that caught our attention. She looked like she was in love with where her life was at the moment, and she wanted to be excellent no matter what was thrown at her.
That’s an it-girl trait we can get behind.
In Her Acting Bag
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Jones stole the show as Hillary Banks in Peacock’s streaming hit Bel-Air. It was a great opportunity for her to show off her acting chops that she almost missed. “I landed the role by auditioning, but I didn’t want to audition. My team had to convince me because I didn’t think I fit the role of Hilary,” Jones told Ebony.
She was able to get past her reluctance and put herself out there to see what could come of taking a risk. The outcome was a memorable performance that introduced her to a new audience and told nuanced stories about what it’s like to be young and Black in America.
That’s something that we could all learn a lesson from.
Grace Under Fire
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It would have been easy for Jones to become resentful when it took a while for the world to catch up to her talent, but she stayed gracious and sweet. She also remained fully dedicated to her craft. She did not let unnecessary setbacks stop her from becoming the best performer she could be.
When she accepted the Best New Artist Award at the 2023 BET Awards, she acknowledged the “long journey” she had been on and met her accomplishment with supreme gratitude.
“I remember when I did 106 & Park with y’all when I was 16, in them tight little skinny jeans and sneakers. It’s been a long journey,” she said.
Jones goes out of her way to relate to her audience. She uplifts Black women and girls on every platform she is celebrated on. She displays her own vulnerability in a humble and endearing fashion.
“I just want to thank God so much for keeping me when I didn’t understand. And for all of my Black girls: we do have to fight a little harder to get what we deserve but don’t stop fighting even when it doesn’t make sense and you’re not sure how you’re going to get out of those circumstances, keep pushing because we are deserving of great things and I’m going to continue to give yall my everything,” she said from the podium.
She has been everything to us for years, and we can’t wait to see how this it girl shows up in 2024.
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