Coco Jones Says the Entertainment Industry Has ‘Gotten Better’ for ‘Dark-Skinned Black Women’ (Exclusive)

Coco Jones’s head was in the clouds when she found out she got her first Grammy Award nomination.

“I slept on the plane and you have wifi on, so iMessages still work. I kept feeling that vibration and I was like, ‘Jesus, this plane is going through some turbulence,'” the musician and Bel-Air star tells PEOPLE. “Then I looked at my phone and got all these notifications saying, ‘Congratulations!’ Of course I was a geek.”

Jones, 25, who released her EP What I didn’t tell you in late 2022, she is currently nominated in five categories at the upcoming 2024 awards: Best R&B Project Album, Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song for her hit single “ICU,” Best Traditional R&B Performance for her Babyface collaboration “Simple” as well as Best New Artist.

Coco Jones Isn’t Afraid To Meet Her Heroes — Especially After Beyonce Told Her To Move On (Exclusive)

Coco Jones.

Phillip Faraone/Getty

Since “ICU” won over radio and fans, Jones’ schedule has been non-stop. She embarked on her first solo tour this year and celebrated the platinum release of “ICU” in October with an intimate dinner in Los Angeles, hosted by Gray Goose and her label, High Standardz/Def Jam Recordings. At first, she had no idea that the smoky break-up-to-makeup song, remixed by Justin Timberlake, would resonate like it has.

“When I made ‘ICU’, I didn’t know if it would work in this time, in this generation. I didn’t know if it was too slow or too soulful. I didn’t know how the world would react. I was just experimenting creatively,” explains Jones. “But I’m really grateful when I perform ‘ICU’ because the audience screams the lyrics at the top of their lungs. The last time I had a reaction like that was when I was 14 or 15 and I was doing stuff for the Disney Channel.”

Coco Jones chronicles her journey from ‘failed’ Disney star to Janet Jackson-approved R&B singer

Back in her Disney days, when she starred in the movie Let it shine and shows as So random! and Good luck Charlie, “Everything was like vibes from a fairy tale,” she recalls. “As a kid, I was definitely sheltered and a little naive about the entertainment business. To me, everything seemed magical and as if it would always remain so.”

Then came years of rejection as Jones tried to advance her music career and find good roles. Now, Jones feels her continued success comes amid a positive shift in representation in the entertainment industry.

“I definitely feel like the industry for dark-skinned black women is getting better and better, especially since I was a young girl,” says Jones. “And I think the more stories and the more positions of power that are told from the perspective of a woman of color, the more opportunity there is [there are] for women to play those roles and to hire women who would understand those stories.”

Simone Joy Jones, Coco Jones, Gabrielle Union and Tia Mowry.

Amy Sussman/WireImage

For all that Jones has accomplished this year, she says one person’s stamp of approval is the most important: Beyoncé.

After first meeting the “Break My Soul” superstar earlier this year at Roc Nation’s pre-Grammy dinner, “I was very ready to give my edge, convince her of my worth,” jokes Jones. “But she already knew about me and I’ll never be the same again.”

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Source: HIS Education