Many musical performers are in store for tonight’s (Sunday, Feb. 8) Super Bowl, with Charlie Puth singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and Bad Bunny headlining the iconic halftime show. Carrying on another Super Bowl tradition, Grammy-winning R&B singer Coco Jones will deliver “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” often hailed as the “Black National Anthem,” ahead of the matchup between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.
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Who is Coco Jones?
Born in Columbia, South Carolina and raised in Lebanon, Tennessee, Courtney “Coco” Jones began pursuing a career in entertainment from a young age. Getting her start on the competition Radio Disney’s The Next Big Thing in 2010, Jones signed with Hollywood Records and appeared in several Disney Channel programs, including Good Luck Charlie and the 2012 musical Let It Shine.
More recently, Jones, 28, starred as Hilary Banks in the Peacock series Bel-Air, a reimagined version of the ’90s sitcom starring Will Smith. She also served as John Legend’s Battle Advisor on season 27 of The Voice.
In 2023, Jones scored her first Hot 100 entry with the single “ICU,” which won her a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance. That was just one of five nominations she nabbed at that year’s ceremony, including Best New Artist. Jones’ debut album, Why Not More?, dropped last year and earned recognition in the Best R&B Album category.
She’s Paying Homage to This Late Superstar
Originally written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” became a rallying cry for Black Americans during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and ’60s. Keeping the song’s rich history in mind, Coco Jones says she modeled her outfit after Whitney Houston’s look during her highly-revered national anthem performance at the 1991 Super Bowl.
“I get emotional when I read the lyrics. I get emotional when I practice, because I think about just how far my lineage has come to get me here,” she said in an interview this week with Entertainment Tonight.
Reflecting on stories told by her late grandmother, Jones continued, “I just can’t believe some of the things she survived. It takes so much strength and resilience to be here, so I’m honored to represent everyone’s lineage that has gotten them here.”
Featured image by JC Olivera/Billboard via Getty Images
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