Key Takeaways
- Coco Jones performed a 20-minute R&B set on NPR’s “Tiny Desk,” featuring songs from her debut album, Why Not More?, and EP What I Didn’t Tell You.
- The set included new arrangements with a full band, background singers, and The String Queens.
- Her “Tiny Desk” appearance follows a 2024 Grammy win and highlights her continued rise in both music and acting.
Coco Jones made her NPR Music “Tiny Desk” debut on Friday (Jan. 9), delivering a soulful R&B performance of the songs that keep fans pressing play. The multifaceted artist was equally visually stunning as she was sonically, effortlessly belting tracks from her album Why Not More? and the What I Didn’t Tell You EP. Velvet notes took lovers on a journey with “You,” “Double Back,” “On Sight,” “Taste,” “Here We Go (Uh Oh),” and “ICU.”
Her 20-minute set followed recent “Tiny Desk” performances by indie rock band Great Grandpa and R&B artist Daniel Caesar. Jones’ soulful delivery and live arrangements made it a standout moment in the series. Viewers were instantly transported to an R&B wonderland the moment Jones, her band, background singers, and The String Queens reimagined her hits. As one fan put it, “It makes no sense how good she sounds live; it makes you not even want to listen to the studio version."
Jones indulged in every moment of the intimate setting, gushing to the crowd, “I’m just loving hearing my music with this band... I hope you get to see some of the musical influences I’m inspired by — the genres, the R&B, traditional, modern, you know, country, I’m from Nashville, gospel, praise God and a little pop.” In the YouTube video’s comments, a second fan wrote, “You can hear her inspiration of Jazmine Sullivan all over the place. From her run choice to her low notes. Coco Jones is fantastic live, though, I'm glad that she was able to get to this. What an honor.”
The former Disney Channel star later shared, “This has been so fun; this is like a dream. I mean, I love ‘Tiny Desk.’ I’m so obsessed, I’m watching the shows all the time ‘cause I just feel like this is a rite of passage to be here in this office.” Her name is now among the list of playlist staples like Usher, Erykah Badu, Clipse, and Lizzo, to name a few.
Coco Jones is leveling up R&B music, her love life and TV
She won her first Grammy for Best R&B Performance with “ICU” in 2024. She returns to the awards show in February 2026 with a Best R&B Album nomination for her freshman LP, Why Not More? She travelled the U.S. promoting the project on the “Why Not More? Tour” last spring and made multiple appearances on Brandy and Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine Tour” at the end of 2025. Between recording, performing, and getting engaged to Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell, she also starred in the final season of Peacock’s “Bel-Air.”