You may have seen Coco Jones on the big screen—she’s been in film and on TV since she was a tween and if not, you will soon, since she’s the new Hilary Banks in Peacock’s Fresh Prince reboot, Bel-Air. You also may have seen her on the tiny screen—with nearly 2 million TikTok followers, dedicated to upping representation for proud, talented, dark-skinned Black women. But in 2022, you should also plan to hear her, as the multi-faceted Ms. Jones at last launches her music career with a brand of R&B as soulful as it is relatable, as diary-honest as it is marked by powerful storytelling. And though she’s young, it’s been a long time coming.

Raised in Nashville, TN, by a mother who was also a singer, and a father who played in the NFL, Jones learned ambition early on. “My dad got to wake up and live his dream his whole life,” she says. “That was kind of the upbringing that our parents wanted us to have: ‘Whatever you’re passionate about, as long as you work for it, we’ll support you. We’ll help cultivate that.’”