Coco Jones Has a Whole New Take on R&B

Grammy-winning singer Coco Jones discussed her views on R&B and her plans to modernize the genre in an interview with NME.

Jones explained that R&B songs express the urgency that comes with intense feelings. She feels that people naturally gravitate towards this genre because of the relatability aspect that it tends to have.

The “ICU” singer stated, “R&B feels like home to me. R&B has so much cultural impact in Black American culture, and [other genres like] soul is Black history – so a lot of why I like it is because I’m a Black woman and it’s my history.”

Jones’s powerful voice has revitalized the R&B genre as her songs speak to the heart. “I think music is about telling your own story and telling the story of the human experience. I wouldn’t want to make a song that only relates to me, I want to make songs which can relate to the world,” she stated.

The singer is well on her way to making her own path in R&B. Jones was nominated for five categories at the Grammys: Best R&B Performance, Best R&B Song, Best R&B Album, Best Traditional R&B Performance, and Best New Artist. Jones ended up winning a Grammy for Best R&B Performance for her song “ICU.”

While Jones wants to modernize R&B, the singer always takes inspiration from R&B singers of the 90s. On her debut EP, What I Didn’t Tell You, she sampled SWV’s song “Rain” for her song “Double Back.” When she performed “Double Back” at the Soul Train Awards with SWV, she blended multiple eras of R&B music.

Jones shows her love for other R&B artists with her beautiful covers of Brandy‘s “Full Moon” and Mary J. Blige’s “Real Love.”

Jones’s latest song is “Here We Go (Uh Oh)” which samples Lenny Williams’ slow-burning 1978 soul ballad “Cause I Love You.” The emotional track talks about the possibility of giving an ex a second chance. The music video was released on May 3 and you can watch it here.

You can check out Coco Jones’ music on all platforms.