Coco Jones Photograph by Cindy Romero The name Coco Jones probably sounds familiar. You might have had her debut album playing on repeat recently or recognize her from her days on Disney Channel years ago. After finding stardom at a young age, the now 28-year-old singer-actress has worked over the past decade to find her own voice in the much oversaturated music industry. Though it has had its highs and lows, Jones now appreciates that she "got to be a little bit more normal than I would have if I had gotten all the things I wanted back to back to back to back." Related Stories Music Phil Collins Says He's Under "24-Hour" Care Amid Health Issues Lifestyle How to Buy Tickets to Hilary Duff's Sold-Out 2026 Tour The hard work eventually paid off. She earned her first Grammy in 2024 for best R&B performance for "ICU," as well as multiple nominations. But it's her most recent nod for her debut album, Why Not More?, that feels even more special. Partly because "an album is way more pressure," she explains, but also due to the fact that she took some big risks with the project. "I felt like I had two choices: to play it safe and do what I felt was expected of me and what I've done before, just in a similar way. Or I really, really, really had this desire to experiment with the other genres that have made me me," Jones tells The Hollywood Reporter. "That was my biggest leap and I didn't want to regret playing it safe." Below, Jones opens up about bringing her album Why Not More? to life, her latest Grammy nomination, new music she's working on, her upcoming performance at the 2026 Super Bowl and how she plans to continue balancing music and acting. Having found child stardom, what made you want to initially pursue acting and singing at such a young age, and did you ever consider doing something else once you entered adulthood? As a child, I honestly just did whatever my parents supported and showed me that could be done. I tried all of the different things: gymnastics, soccer, softball. They were all sports actually, but that's what they knew. And I would sing at home. So one time, my mom's friend, who was a violinist, came over and she was noticing my voice, and I'm just a little baby at this point, so it stuck with them like, hmm, interesting. Then plays would happen at school and I would be like, "Yes, I want to sing." I want to do anything during the play or whatever. So I guess they kind of found opportunities because of how passionate I was. It wasn't really anything that we knew how to get into, but my mom was just like, "I'm going to find a way. She seems to really love this." As an adult, I didn't consider anything else, really, except maybe I did think about interning in a music job. I didn't go to college. I started working, so that was just what I did. But I was like, maybe I could intern and start from the ground up. I mean, I know about music if things got really, really rough. Having previously won a Grammy and been nominated several times, how does this year's nomination for your debut album feel different from past ones? An album is way more pressure. I think the significance of labeling it that is just heavier. So that makes the entire category that I'm in even more special, just because I know what an album means to me and [what] it means to the history of me as an artist. It's just a lot more significant when you're putting out an album and you can only do a first album once. What would it mean to you if you took home the Grammy in February? Girl, I would have to process that after because I really, really try not to overdo it in my brain about these things. It is just not healthy for me. I like to stay in the moment and be open to whatever occurs. Take me back to how you created Why Not More? and what were you hoping to get out of it, as well as what were you hoping listeners took away from it? For me, the biggest thing was self-discovery at the time, just figuring out what I even wanted to say. And what I want listeners to get out of it is the confidence to experiment. I just didn't know everything. I only knew as much as I did at the time, and that had to be OK because the project had to come out. So I hope it inspires other people to have some grace with themselves if they don't have the complete answer. And it's not this easy to explain theme, and that has to be OK sometimes. Just let go of the perfectionism. Coco Jones (center) performing. Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for ESSENCE When you first got started on the album, how were you looking to differentiate it from your 2022 EP, What I Didn't Tell You, which was also Grammy-nominated? I felt like I had two choices: to play it safe and do what I felt was expected of me and what I've done before, just in a similar way. Or I really, really, really had this desire to experiment with the other genres that have made me me. I mean, my formative years I spent on Disney Channel doing bubblegum pop, but I really am inspired by some pop. And I'm fr