In May 2017, I sat down with Coco Jones—then known as a rising Disney star from Let It Shine—on Scoop B Radio. At the time, she was navigating the transition from teen stardom to the sophisticated R&B powerhouse we know today. During our session, she pinpointed the two women who essentially served as her “vocal North Stars”: gospel legend CeCe Winans and the Voice herself, Whitney Houston.
Reflecting on that dialogue today, as Coco dominates the charts with hits like “ICU” and stars in Bel-Air, her 2017 insights provide a buttoned-up roadmap of the technical mastery she was striving for early on.
The Mother’s Challenge: If You Can Sing CeCe…
Coco shared a piece of advice from her mother that became the foundation of her work ethic. It wasn’t just about singing; it was about conquering the most difficult material in the canon.
“I was into… CeCe Winans,” Coco told me. “My mom told me, ‘If you can sing these songs, then you can sing anything.’ ”
In 2025, we hear the results of that rigorous training. The control, the range, and the soulful runs in Coco’s modern discography are direct descendants of the CeCe Winans school of vocal precision. By tackling Winans’ material as a teenager, Coco wasn’t just learning songs—she was learning the architecture of the human voice.
The Whitney Houston “Bangers”
While many focus on Whitney’s ballads, Coco’s 2017 reflection was specifically about the energy and “bangers” that Whitney delivered. She saw Whitney not just as a singer, but as an undeniable performer.
“I can’t forget Whitney Houston—I was into all the bangers,” she remarked. “I’ve always been this little performer, I was always that extra kid doing the most.”
Looking back from 2025, Coco’s ability to command a stage—a skill that earned her a Grammy for Best R&B Performance—is a mirror of that Whitney Houston energy. She learned early on that to be a legend, you have to match the vocal power with a presence that fills the entire room.
From Inspiration to Integration
In our session, Coco also listed other “powerhouse” influences like Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, and Fantasia. She was essentially building a “super-vocalist” profile for herself.
“I love singing… I want to make my songs feel the way that I feel when I listen to them,” she said, reflecting on the passion she inherited from these icons.
Today, in 2025, the industry recognizes Coco Jones as the successor to that lineage. She didn’t just imitate her idols; she integrated their discipline into her own R&B sound. Her 2017 session on Scoop B Radio was the moment she publicly claimed her seat at the table of great vocalists.
