NEW YORK (AP) ā What music would you create if there werenāt any outside influences or self-imposed creative restraints?
āWhat would I do if I didnāt have any fear of comparing myself to āICUā and my EP? Or if I thought there was some formula that people wanted from me?ā Jones wondered. āThat was kind of the mood: just be fearless.ā
The R&B star attempted to answer herself on her debut album ā āWhy Not More?," ā releasing Friday. It follows her 2022 breakout EP āWhat I Didnāt Tell You.ā
āIām just proud of every version of myself that Iāve been, and who Iāll become after this album,ā said Jones, with āICUā winning best R&B performance. āAnd really proud of putting together a project that I feel confident in.ā
The 14-track album from the āBel-Airā actor traverses through a spectrum of R&B sonics and vibes, from introspective to seductive, Pop&B to Trap&B. Writing on every song, Jones secured production from StarGate, London on Da Track and Jasper Harris and features from Future and YG Marley.
One of the faces of the new generation of R&B, she doesnāt shy away from the pressure that can come with attempting to replicate the success of a song like āICU.ā
āThere was a pressure to outdo myself. But I also have to remind myself that I wasnāt trying to win anything ā¦ I was just doing me,ā explained Jones, who said for the first time, she was patient with herself during studio sessions for her debut, not focused on leaving with a completed song each time. āI was just doing what felt right. I was being honest, I was just being vulnerable.ā
āWhy Not More?ā highlights Jonesā vast range of melodic styles. Four singles have been released including which earned Jones her first No. 1 on Billboardās Adult R&B Airplay chart, and currently at No. 15.
In the ballad āOther Side of Love,ā Jones finds herself at a crossroads in a relationship, singing āI donāt know why I canāt get your love outta my mind / Itās like I try but you come back around every time.ā
āItās probably the oldest song on the album ā¦ It was always a song that I knew was on the back burner whenever I was ready, I had something right there ready for them. But it was kind of just not time yet,ā said the 27-year-old Tennessee native. āI might drop a song like āTaste,ā but Iām always gonna have a song like āOther Side of Loveā because I canāt deny that version of myself either.ā
Empowerment is also a theme, rejecting codependence and embracing self-love on āBy Myself.ā
āThe song that defines me the most is āBy Myself.ā I wrote that one literally because I was going through a situation verbatim, and I was like I donāt wanna feel like anybody else is so crucial for me to be the best version of me ā I canāt live like that,ā she said. āAll of the answers canāt come from anyone else ā¦ Iām so big on the inner work and therapy and growing emotionally.ā
Jones, who stars as Hilary Banks on the drama series āBel-Air,ā is prepping for the fourth and final season which hasnāt started production. Sheāll balance filming with her upcoming tour, launching May 6 in Philadelphia.
A self-described overachiever, says there are many goals she wants to reach, but sheās traveling in the right direction.
āMy childhood dreams, I still have yet to fully achieve them all. I definitely see them materializing, but the way I thought of myself as a kid was huge, like larger than life,ā said Jones, who first signed a record deal at 14. āI have a lot of ways to go to really be what childhood Coco saw for me. And I hope I do, because I was shooting for the galaxy.ā
___
Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.
Gary Gerard Hamilton, The Associated Press
