This week is about our IT GIRLS! Josie, Alycia, and Yasmine start by addressing the Fenty Bowl (Rihanna’s Super Bowl half-time show) before Coco Jones joins for a chat about her career in the music and entertainment industries, from Disney’s Let It Shine to her debut EP “What I Didn’t Tell You” and her lead role on Bel-Air.

Show Notes

Coco Jones
Bel-Air
What I Didn’t Tell You EP
Let It Shine

 

 

TRANSCRIPT

 

 

[AD BREAK]

 

Josie Totah: Hi. And come on in. Welcome back. You know who we are. This is our pod. And you guys, we have so much to discuss. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: We have a lot to talk about. First things first is, where are we? Look at us. 

 

Josie Totah: We’re we’re, hear us. Do we sound different because we’re actually on a couch. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Josie Totah: Instead of at a table. And we made this big decision– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: It’s a life change. 

 

Josie Totah: –because we realized we are too lazy to sit at a table. And tables are for business people and sexual encounters in hotel rooms. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh. 

 

Josie Totah: They’re not for work. So here we are. We’re on the couch. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: I also just feel like we’re three best friends. We never talk at a table. We’re either in Josie’s car. We’re in your car. My car. We’re on Josie’s couch. We’re on a bed, or we’re on your balcony, that we’re never at a table. So I feel like this is the most authentic place to talk our shit. 

 

Josie Totah: I love it, you guys. Speaking of talking about certain things, the first thing that– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Please. [?] But just the act of talking, itself 

 

Yasmine Hamady: That’s crazy. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: What we’re doing.

 

Yasmine Hamady: Talking is crazy.

 

Josie Totah: Don’t come for my segue. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Hot take. 

 

Josie Totah: I am so excited to talk to you guys about the Super Bowl and not just the Super Bowl, but Rihanna’s performance at the Super Bowl. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: The Fenty Bowl. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Exactly. 

 

Josie Totah: By the way. Even though we all watched the Super Bowl together– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: We have not talked about it. 

 

Josie Totah: –we didn’t discuss it. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: We waited.

 

Josie Totah: Cause we wanted to wait. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Cause– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: We were together. And we were like–

 

Josie Totah: –stayed silent. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: We stayed silent and we’re like, we’re not going to talk about anything until the pod tomorrow. So– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Josie Totah: So here we go. Alycia, what are your thoughts? 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: So we’re hearing each other’s takes for the first time. Um. My thoughts were, she’s Rihanna. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Of course. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Point blank period. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Right. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: So I think that she can do no wrong. Um. And it’s Black History Month. So if anybody has something bad to say, they’re racist. Um. And I think that is the end of that conversation. But no no no, in all sincerity, I loved it. I think that it was super chill. We learned that um baby mama is preggers so congrats to her. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Oh I love that nepo baby– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: She’s an icon. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: –that’s gonna come out. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Um. But yeah, there were so many things that I loved from the performance. I think that I expected, like maybe certain people to come out. But also she’s amazing and she was putting on for like Black women, for Barbados. So I loved it and she was authentically her, which is what I love. Also, I want to talk about them dancers. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Josie Totah: Yeah. Okay. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: They held their own. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: And I want to call some of them by name. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Xavien. Denzel. Dario, Joya Jackson. Bianca. These people are icons. Parris for choreographing it. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: That was incredible. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Um. I want to see more people talking about the dancers because they’re phenomenal. They were floating in the air. They were jumping up and down, running across this football field, eating. And also Parris’s choreography has been revolutionary. If you’re in the dance world, you’ve seen her come up through royal dance, watching all of her videos at World of Dance. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: She’s from New Zealand. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Um. Yeah, she’s from New Zealand. And she like specifically made this really beautiful, sentimental post about it after um saying like, just a girl from New Zealand and Barbados, like making their dreams come true. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Mm hmm. It was beautiful. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Um. So I literally got like super sentimental and emotional thinking about all the dancers on that stage that I personally look up to. And I was like pointing out, Bernard Bell, shout out to you. Um. So yeah. Also the ASL interpreter. 

 

Josie Totah: Yes. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: That was incredible. 

 

Josie Totah: Amazing. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: She was eating. 

 

Josie Totah: She needs to be signed. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: She– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yes. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: 20 year old. She was phenomenal. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: She was 20? 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. She’s 20 years old. Justina Miles. She was phenomenal. It also was you know, I will let you guys give your opinions, but I think historically, like, just so Black and beautiful. And of course, trolls went on to the Twitter, like um our least favorite person on the planet, Marjorie Taylor and she said that she wished she could have had the Super Bowl without the wokeness, which really just means Black. Like say it with your chest. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Well, I wish we could have this world without Marjorie. So here we are. I don’t care. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: But. Yeah. Like Sheryl Lee Ralph ate. Babyface ate. I loved how Black it was. Also–

 

Yasmine Hamady: Chris Stapleton also ate. Like the the country guy? 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh yeah. Yeah yeah yeah.

 

Yasmine Hamady: Who was like–

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: National anthem. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: National anth– I don’t know what the national anthem. What is it? 

 

Josie Totah: So my opinion is that I don’t think 1/16th of pregnant people, one six billionth of pregnant people could do– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Correct. 

 

Josie Totah: –what Rihanna did. You know, I don’t even know what she is. I’m assuming like three, four months pregnant. Like, I don’t know anyone that could do that like that. Obviously, we saw Beyonce pull out all the stops. But Beyonce and Rihanna are two very different people and they had different styles. And Rihanna has never been the girl to do all the things. However, what I will say is it was evident that she did go to the Dua Lipa School of Dance in that she learned how to you know do a lot without doing anything at all. But I was here for it and I was supporting it. What I loved the most is that this Super Bowl out of at least the ones that I can remember really showcased dancing and dancers than ever before. And I really feel like whether or not they had to sort of reposition themselves when they found out that she was pregnant and focus more on the dancers, I thought that was just like a really good move because seeing all of them shine and like–

 

Yasmine Hamady: A hundred percent. 

 

Josie Totah: Our best friend Ange like her, um like one of her castmates was a dancer and like, seeing his spotlight like, it made emotional. I don’t even know these people. I’m not even a dancer. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Josie Totah: But getting to see them– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: And they’ve waited their whole life for this. 

 

Josie Totah: Yeah. Have those moments, were so wonderful. So fuck you to anybody saying that she, you know, didn’t do anything. Are there Super Bowl performances that I enjoyed more? Of, Yes, 100%. I think that I will forever love Beyoncé’s, I will forever love Lady Gaga’s, um Katy Perry’s was honestly good, even though I don’t like her music that much. But that’s the thing about Rihanna, because every single song is a banger. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Josie Totah: It’s like you could have just sat there and ate chips and then just like cussed me out. As long as the music was playing in the background, I’d be fine. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: I couldn’t agree more. 

 

Josie Totah: And I think it just reminded us of why we love Rihanna because she’s so herself. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. I– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Also Miss Fenty boss woman, like sales went up I think 800%. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Listen, here’s the thing it’s it’s product placement to a tee that’s where I was going to go. So my take on this is I’m just so grateful that Rihanna came. Like, I could have just ended it right there. The fact that she just showed I don’t give a fuck about A$AP showing up, but like it was Rihanna coming there. That joke. I just got it. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah yeah yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: That was funny. That was funny. Going on. But um Rihanna just on there with all of the red. The way she was looking at that camera with the two– 

 

Josie Totah: All of the red– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: All of the red, like it was so beautiful. What I will say was, this is nothing to do with the dancers or Rihanna herself. I just thought the production value was lower than other years, and I don’t think that’s her fault or the dancer’s fault. 

 

Josie Totah: I agree. I was so confused– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: I thought it was the NFL’s whole thing. 

 

Josie Totah: It was so it was so minimal. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: It was so– 

 

Josie Totah: I was really confused by that. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I feel like she probably wanted that creatively. But I will say from a– 

 

Josie Totah: But everybody else– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: –Superbowl performance–

 

Josie Totah: –also was lit so much better than hers. It was also really dark. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: It was dark and there was– 

 

Josie Totah: I’m like is– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: -not a lot of like– 

 

Josie Totah: –is the timezone weird? 

 

Yasmine Hamady: There was no fireworks. 

 

Josie Totah: I’m so confused. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: It was darker. It was. It was it just didn’t feel like–

 

Josie Totah: That was a serious question. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: –the production was as high as other years. And I don’t think that was fair for Rihanna. 

 

Josie Totah: I agree. And also my realtor shout out Adam, he said this. Um. He said that he, like the show, felt like it relied too much on its production to do the performing for them and that it didn’t really speak, it spoke for itself, but it didn’t necessarily meet the production where it was at, as in like the set pieces were like– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: The set pieces– 

 

Josie Totah: –so large that it sort of took away from her herself, you know? 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: I mean, she was just like her voice. I was just I got emotional watching her because we were all together and it was just like, this woman, You don’t see it any more like we have, it’s Rihanna, it’s Beyonce, it’s Gaga. So much of these iconic women who we’ve grown up with and are still on the come up. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Even from years ago, who are still busting their ass– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Her stardom is rare, like– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Is rare. And we don’t see that any more. 

 

Josie Totah: And she’s so humble and she’s so present and literally the video of her or in the video she like fist bumps her like lead guitarist and you can just tell she’s so present and she’s so aware and she’s so in the moment. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: And she loves her team. 

 

Josie Totah: And that she loves her team and that she’s doing exactly what she should be doing. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. And–

 

Josie Totah: Which is being an icon. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I love that she, one is so just rooted in who she is. Like, like that’s the thing. She was up there pregnant, which honestly, most people without being pregnant could not have the bravery– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: I couldn’t have done it no. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: –to do what she did. But she was like swagged out in her own type of way and she still like gives flowers to other people. Like it’s really beautiful how she shed light on other women. Like she specifically said that she watched Beyonce’s past Super Bowls to, like, study for this one. And like during the press junket for the Super Bowl, she was like, I’m nervous but like, you know, I haven’t been on the stage in seven years, but this isn’t just about me. She said it’s about Black women. It’s about Cari–the Caribbean women, it’s about Barbados. And I think like for her to be out where she is and to have the notoriety of being Rihanna and to still always have that in the forefront of the conversation she have she’s having it’s like one of the reasons she’s like she’s a history maker. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: A hundred percent. I mean, in the interview as well, they asked her, like because she’s been offered to perform with the Super Bowl halftime before. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah yeah yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: And she didn’t in protest with Colin Kaepernick. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: She was she said absolutely not, I wasn’t going to perform and be a part of an establishment that was so rooted in racism. And it’s just I feel like she kind of did this on her own terms. And that was beautiful to see. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. And I love that she still did it pregnant like. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yes. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: You know, also, I think that there’s still this conversation. Well, that’s just unfortunately, like an overarching theme specifically in America, but around the world is like policing women’s bodies and telling us what we can and can’t do or not giving women the agency to like, do whatever the fuck they want and have the liberation to go, I’m pregnant and I’m still going to be a boss ass bitch. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: And she still showed up in all the energy that we’ve always loved Rihanna for. 

 

Josie Totah: They probably had to change the set list or– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: For sure. 

 

Josie Totah: Some of the–

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Josie Totah: –um definitely the choreo. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Josie Totah: Because if she found out a year ago. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: For sure. 

 

Josie Totah: I’m sure it was, they were probably maybe we’ll hear more about it now. They probably had to like change it all up in the– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Josie Totah: –last three months because everything changes when the baby is a kicking. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: The baby’s head. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: And she was still floating, that diamond shot I do love. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: That diamond shot [?]– 

 

Josie Totah: I was scared I was like–

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: The closing performance. 

 

Josie Totah: –oh my god if that was me the way I would fall. [laugh]. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: But all in all, with this Super Bowl, I don’t even know who won. I fell asleep after Rihanna. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: You did. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: No, I was. I slept right next to Alcyia– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: The Eagles didn’t win. Unfortunately. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Couldn’t like– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I was sad. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: I don’t even know. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: You’re like, I don’t even know what’s going on. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: I’m like go Niners, go Lakers! They’re the same sport. And so I’m joking. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Also I just loved how much we leaned into the fact that it was a Fenty Bowl. Like men had their panties– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: It was. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: –in a bunch. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Our our best friend Angelica literally brought a cake that said Happy Rihanna day. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: It was beautiful. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: And it was– 

 

Josie Totah: Everyone in their life was like Rihanna concert. But I mean it was. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: It was a Rihanna concert. I only watched it for Rihanna and the the commercials were great. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Mm. There was some heavy hitters in these commercials. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Um. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I can’t fathom how expensive these commercials are to make. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Can we talk about the commercial, about the Jesus one? About the alt right group–

 

Josie Totah: I’m like who paid for that? I’m like God– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: You didn’t hear? 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I didn’t see that. 

 

Josie Totah: I know God didn’t pay for that. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Ugh. Embarrassing.

 

Yasmine Hamady: So–

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Embarassing. 

 

Josie Totah: And it didn’t it say sponsored by God or something? 

 

Yasmine Hamady: So this alt right, like Christian group kind of did, they paid $100 million dollars for, like, what was it two minutes? 

 

Unspecified Producer: Two ads. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Two ads during the Super Bowl. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: That’s so much money. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: And it was basically like Jesus saves. They’ve had a bunch of um posters and billboards all throughout the country. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I love God, I love Jesus. But couldn’t we have used that money to help people? 

 

Yasmine Hamady: But also they were kind of preaching very they said they were going for a rebrand. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: No ma’am. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Is what they were saying. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: No ma’am. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: And they were preaching very conservative ideas. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: That isn’t God. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: The NFL said we’ll– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: [?]. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: –take anyone and their money and that’s the and that’s the tea. We’ll take everyone. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Well, they don’t deserve any more airtime. It was a great game. It was Black. It was woke. Shout out to history being made. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yup. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Um. 

 

Josie Totah: Congrats Rihanna for being a bad bitch. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yes. We love you and– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: No. Thank you, Rihanna. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: We’re excited for your baby and to see more of you and– 

 

Josie Totah: [?] see your baby, when you’re ready. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: We’re just so lucky to have her. Like, I’m just so grateful to be living in a world and an age where Rihanna,– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Period. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: –Beyonce, women like our upcoming guest, Coco Jones. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yes! 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Is [?] in. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Speaking of iconic Black women, we’re talking with one of the IT girls. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yup. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I’m so excited. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: We’ll be right back. [music break]. 

 

Josie Totah: Guys, I’m so excited because we made merch for our first merch drop. We wanted to do something that everybody needs, a hat that says Tough titties on it. My mom used to say tough titties said the kiddies when the milk went dry growing up. Who knows where that quote came from? Let’s not look into it too much because it could be rooted in some sort of problematic thing that could get her canceled so anyway, it’s become one of my favorite [?] phrases to say. And I just love saying it because tough titties like, yeah, that sucks. And these hats had that iconic bass pro shop look without the risk of someone asking if you like to fish or if you’re a Republican so you can still like, get that hot you know moment on your head. And we made them just for you. And we think you’ll love them just as much as we do. They literally go with everything. If you’re having a bad hair day, which we know you are. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Um. 

 

Josie Totah: Actually just kidding, bad hair does not exist. We should eliminate that stigma unless you’re white, fix your fucking hair [laughing] and put on a goddamn hat. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Brush your damn hair. Look at me. 

 

Josie Totah: Well, they can’t because they’re listening. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Well, I look really fucking good. So there you have it. Go buy our hat. You can dress it up. Or you could dress it down. Wear it on the plane. Go to the gym with it. Do anything you want with it. 

 

Josie Totah: My favorite part about these hats is the way they make your face shaped. I don’t know how to explain it, but when I wear this hat, I feel like I’m ultimately snatched. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: I get hotter, I get hotter. 

 

Josie Totah: Well I think it’s because of the structure of it. It makes your face look slimmer and like your jawline– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: It’s just– 

 

Josie Totah: –aligns with it. Well I’m not even just saying that it’ll make you hotter. So, yeah. Check out our hat at store.crooked.com to get your hat now. [music break]. 

 

[AD BREAK]

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Guys, our guest today, I literally could not be more excited. She’s such a star. She is the moment. She is the IT girl. She is a multihyphenate and she is a musician and actress. You can currently listen to her debut EP right now, What I didn’t tell you, and see her as one of the stars of Bel-Air with its new season coming out February 23rd. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: So good. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: And I am so excited to welcome the beautiful, the lovely Coco Jones. [applause and cheers]

 

Coco Jones: Hey y’all. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Hi. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Hi. 

 

Josie Totah: Hello. 

 

Coco Jones: Thank you for having me. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh, my gosh. We are so honored. Thank you for taking the time. I know you is busy as hell. So how are you doing right now? Just talk to us. [laughing] How are you mentally? How’s your day going? 

 

Coco Jones: Girl. You know what? I actually was cracking up at myself because when I was in the shower this morning, I like started laughing at how tired I am. [laughing] And then I was like cry, literally– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yup. 

 

Coco Jones: –I was like it’s too much. But no um. I’ve always been such a, like, worker bee type type. I come from like an athletic family. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: And we always were just so competitive in sports and like, like we just have this drive about us that’s just crazy. So I think I’m very happy. Of course, all these things are like dreams that I’ve prayed for to like happen. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: Didn’t know it’d be giving simultaneously. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Mmm. Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: And that’s cute, but whoa. It’s a lot to [?]–

 

Yasmine Hamady: Are you a Virgo? 

 

Coco Jones:  I am not. I’m a Capricorn. 

 

Josie Totah: I’m a Capricorn! 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Oh there it is. 

 

Josie Totah: Er Capricorn rising. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah Capricorn rising. 

 

Josie Totah: Which means that’s how– 

 

Coco Jones: Okay [?]. 

 

Josie Totah: –people see me. So is Yasmine. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Josie Totah: I think that speaks to your, like, work ethic and your drive. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yes. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: That’s exactly it. 

 

Coco Jones: I do. You know, so many people over, like the last three years told me all the traits about being a Capricorn that I didn’t even have to google the Zodiac sign–

 

Yasmine Hamady: You don’t even need to. 

 

Coco Jones: –because of what everybody tells me. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: And I’m like, you know what? If this is what they really say? This is facts. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Period. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: No, it’s true. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Girl that’s living in L.A. Like, I feel like you and I probably are not the most, you know, aware of– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Versed. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Versed in astrology signs, but the way that people tell me about my sign all the time, I’m like thank you. 

 

Josie Totah: And she is a pisces. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: Oh– 

 

Josie Totah: She and every– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh at least, at least that’s what they tell me. But– 

 

Josie Totah: Every way– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: One thing–

 

Josie Totah: –shape or form. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Am I? 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah, you are. 

 

Josie Totah: You are. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Okay. Yeah, well, conversation for a different day. But one thing I do know about you for sure is that you stay on go. That’s why whenever I see you, I personally am like, are you okay? Because you are just always, like, so amazing and doing all the things like performing– 

 

Coco Jones: Thank you. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: –and being on set. And that’s why I’m always like, I want to check in on you like how you’re doing? 

 

Coco Jones: Thank you. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: And you know what’s crazy? 

 

Coco Jones: Thank you. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I was actually just telling the girls, the very first time I met you was like a year ago like up– 

 

Josie Totah: This week. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: This week. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Because we met on on Valentine’s Day. 

 

Coco Jones: Eew, was it Valentine’s Day?

 

Yasmine Hamady: Not you saying eew. [laughter] 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Not you saying eew. Yes because– 

 

Coco Jones: I’m like what was going on last Valentine’s Day.

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Remember, I’m like, I barely remember. But because I was reminiscing with the girls this morning, I was like, yeah, it was Karrueche’s dinner and– 

 

Coco Jones: Oh, my Grog. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh my gosh.

 

Coco Jones: It was. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Not grod. [laugh] Not oh my gerd. 

 

Coco Jones: I say grog. I don’t know where the hell I got it [?]– 

 

Josie Totah: I love it. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: It’s– 

 

Coco Jones: –but I think it’s just because I like don’t like I come from the South. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Period we– 

 

Coco Jones: Where like you’re not supposed to say the Lord’s name in vain. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah, yeah yeah.

 

Coco Jones: So grog became my thing. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: But here that reminds me of like the, like the hit sensation ermahgerd. Back in like, do you remember that time in 2012? 

 

Josie Totah: The hit sensation. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: The hit sensation. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: But I’m I’m so glad that you say that because Josie and I were literally just talking about– 

 

Josie Totah: Literally this morning. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: –this morning. Because I don’t say oh my G-o-d. So like, you know, if you were raised in a Christian household, you say, oh my gosh, but yeah we met Valentine’s Day and then– 

 

Coco Jones: That is so true. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Fast forward, we did Family Feud together. 

 

Coco Jones: Yes. 

 

Josie Totah: We lost miserably–

 

Coco Jones: Yes. 

 

Josie Totah: –to you. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah, that was really embarrassing. 

 

Coco Jones: I’m sorry, guys, but also the competitive in me is like purr. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: And that’s a Capricorn. 

 

Coco Jones: Real bad. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: And that’s a Capricorn.

 

Josie Totah: You guys had every strength and we had, like, zero possessive skills. Like, we did not. We were so unequipped to do a good job, we failed miserably. But it was an honor to watch you guys thrive. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah, it was– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: On family feud. It was an honor– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: It was– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: To watch you on Family Feud. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: It was great to see y’all win. 

 

Coco Jones: Thank you. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: And then we were blessed by your amazing cast. But um speaking of your cast and you guys literally obliterating us that day. Um– 

 

Josie Totah: Metaphorically. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Obvi– Yes metaphorically. Obviously, people are super familiar with Bel-Air. It’s been such a hit. You have the new season coming out. But I want to go to the start. 

 

Josie Totah: All the way back. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: All the way back. Because the ones who know, know– 

 

Josie Totah: Know. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: –that you’re not new to this, you’re true to this. So that’s what I want to talk about. How does it feel like experiencing this new success, but knowing that you’ve been in the game for a really long time and like, where did your start exactly come from? Like, how did you first start making music? How did you first start acting? 

 

Coco Jones: Uh. Great question. I started singing. I mean, just second nature. I would do it all the time, like I would hum in my baby videos. I’m just singing all the time, like making some sort of noise. Actually, funny enough, my mom had a friend who was a violinist and she had a friend over. They were just having girl time and she literally paused the conversation and she was like, your kid, she was like, your kid is singing down. Like your kid has a perfect ear. And my mom was like, what? Okay. Purr. Anyway, so moving on with life, you know, sports was like my way, you know, to do everything that I thought I was going to do, go to college, etc.– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: –What sports did you play? 

 

Coco Jones: –and that be my path. I played basketball and track and softball. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Okay cool.

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: And your sister’s, like, still playing volleyball in college, right? 

 

Coco Jones: Yes, uh huh. My sister is, I’m the shortest in my family. My little sister is my big little sister. She’s like six two. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: No. 

 

Josie Totah: Wow. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Okay icon. 

 

Coco Jones: Yes so we’re literally like giants. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: She is. 

 

Coco Jones: But um I remember I would do sport competitions, but then I also started doing, like, little plays and little shows at my school. And I would just just dominate. I’d be like me in the front. It’s me in the front. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yes! 

 

Coco Jones: And the way that I felt with like the crowd and how they would react to me singing. I was like, what is this feeling? It feels also like when I win a game or like– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah! 

 

Coco Jones: –when I make like a great play. What is this? I like this feeling too. And so then I just kind of like you know bothered my mom about like doing more and I started doing talent competitions. I would do kid competitions, then I would do adult competitions. And like win those and I ended up meeting a judge who was like, you’re, I would work with you for free, he worked for me for free for years. 

 

Josie Totah: Wow. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Stop. 

 

Coco Jones: My ghetto little EP that my mama made on her window PC. Purr to my mom. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yes, window PC. 

 

Coco Jones: Literally I okay. I don’t know how she even did that. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Period. 

 

Coco Jones: But I gave it to, like, um a Disney executive at this casting call with 5000 kids. And I was like, here’s my EP. You gonna find out about me. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh! 

 

Josie Totah: Yes! 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yes! 

 

Coco Jones: And literally a year after that, they hit me up. They hit me up through my producer. And that’s when I started working with Disney Channel. And it was like, never the same. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Wow. 

 

Josie Totah: And oh my God, let me just tell you, I feel like I have I don’t remember life without knowing who you are and knowing who Coco Jones is. Like, I just feel like any of us who, like– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Josie Totah: –have grown up, like in the know, like we’ve just have always known you to be, like, successful and an icon. So seeing like this newfound– 

 

Coco Jones: Thank you. 

 

Josie Totah: –success and fame I think just makes all of us fans that have been fans of you for so long, like really happy. But specifically, I know you don’t remember this, but over ten– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Uh oh uh oh. 

 

Josie Totah: Over ten years. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh ho ho! 

 

Coco Jones: Oh my grog. 

 

Josie Totah: I had just moved to L.A. and I became really good friends with this girl named Allison, who was on the Disney Channel at the time. And she invited me to I also have not seen um that, her in like many years, but she invited me to a premiere and my very first premiere was Let It Shine. 

 

Coco Jones: Please be serious if you can. No way. 

 

Josie Totah: It was and it was like life changing. I swear to God, it’s to this day, one of my favorite Disney Channel original movie dcoms– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Agreed. 

 

Josie Totah: –ever. And all of my– 

 

Coco Jones: Hello Dcom. [?]. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: All of my [?].

 

Josie Totah: My best friend Noel and I are like, obsessed with Dcoms. And that’s our literally that and Wendy Wu: Homecoming warrior. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Not Wendy Wu: Homecoming warrior. That’s–

 

Josie Totah: –are our number one Dcoms. And I remember meeting you, and I think I also may have gone to like your 16th birthday party or something. I was telling Alycia. 

 

Coco Jones: I was going to say I was like, girl I swear on my sixteenth birthday, I swear you were there.

 

Josie Totah: No I was there. I told Alcyia that. She was like that’s so random. I don’t know how I got there because I did not know you. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: All y’all Disney kids know each other. It’s kind of scary. [banter]

 

Yasmine Hamady: It’s very familial. 

 

Coco Jones: It is, it’s like a wolf pack. [banter] It’s like hi how are you?

 

Josie Totah: But what was it like?  I mean, getting to be the lead and star of like a Disney Channel original movie and I mean, especially like it was kind of groundbreaking because there wasn’t– 

 

Coco Jones: Yeah. 

 

Josie Totah: –many, like Black young women in the center of films– 

 

Coco Jones: Right. 

 

Josie Totah: –like that. And also–

 

Coco Jones: Right. 

 

Josie Totah: –like for the culture too, and like gospel music and everything. Like, it just was so–

 

Coco Jones: Yeah. 

 

Josie Totah: –exciting. 

 

Coco Jones: Such a such a um just life changing opportunity and I think at the time. I, I didn’t really know how to process that because I come from like Tennessee, but like Lebanon, Tennessee, like the country. Like–

 

Yasmine Hamady: Like yee haw! 

 

Coco Jones: We. Yee haw.

 

Yasmine Hamady: Wow. 

 

Coco Jones: Okay 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Giddy up yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: You know what I’m saying? Very much like the country. And so for me, it kind of felt like I was in, like a dream. I feel like I feel like I had these huge dreams for myself. And I’m starting to, like, tap back into who that person was that, like, had no limits and no limiting beliefs. But like, I felt like the world was my dream and I’m living my dream, you know– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: Like, I get this role and I get to wear these amazing outfits and, like, do these things that I love. And I was like, okay, this is my life. Like, I told you guys. Like, I would tell my classmates every summer, I’m going to go be Hannah Montana like, this is the last time you’re seeing me like, say goodbye. You know what I’m saying like?

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yes. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: You knew.

 

Coco Jones: I just was so sure that this was my life, you know what I’m saying? And so when I did get that role, of course, like it was life changing. And then people started to recognize me and that was like, weird. I didn’t I was like, oh okay, didn’t know this comes with my dream. But either way, this is me living my dream. This is what I knew was going to happen. And I think from there I just as a young 14 year old who like, got this dream of hers, I just thought I would get every dream, you know, and it would just keep going like that. Like, okay, great. Now this starts. Everyone knows I’m this girl. I can sing, I can do all of these things. Of course there are going to be more opportunities for me. Of course, it’s going to keep going up and up and up. Because like– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: I’m nice and I love this. And I’m good at this. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: You know, and so then I feel like as I got older, around 16, like things just weren’t what I thought they were going to be and that’s when I kind of like, grew up. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: Or like, kind of, like that filter came off–

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: And it was like, oh, this is real life. This is a business. This is way more than about being talented and being kind. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: It’s way more than that. And these people don’t care about you for real, you know? So I kind of like had to like when people I feel like were in high school and like, learning about, like who they liked and having their heartbreaks and everything. I was like, having my dreams shut down. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: You know, and like, rebuilding, like, what does that even look like? What do I believe that I can have in this music business, in this entertainment industry? 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah 

 

Coco Jones: You know? 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. No, for sure. That’s that’s a real word. Like, thank you for even sharing that. I don’t think that people understand, like, the nuances, especially being a kid and trying to figure out who you are and then being humbled by the industry and knowing that like you’re working really hard and sometimes that still means it’s not going to work out the way you want it to. 

 

Coco Jones: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: Yeah. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Um. And, you know, I thank you for that transparency. And it makes me want to ask, like, how did you keep going? Because it’s like, let’s, let’s keep it a buck. It was a minute right before we saw you– 

 

Coco Jones: Mm hmm yeah. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: –in anything large. And the only reason that I mention that is because it’s one of the many reasons that I see the success that you’re experiencing, hitting number one on the R&B charts–

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yes! 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: And everybody knowing your name and you being at the Grammys, which we gonna get into. Okay. 

 

Coco Jones: Okay. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: But all of those things and I literally get emotional because it’s inspiring as a Black woman. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Like, I love to see our people win, especially people with your story, especially also the specificity of you being a dark skinned Black woman. So like, how did you keep going? What sustained you through those years? And what’s like the biggest obstacle you had to overcome? And like, what did you tell yourself? 

 

Coco Jones: Man, that is a great question. And literally, I can like go back to the stillness that I did not want. Like I just wanted to work. I just wanted what I have now, the commotion, the busy. You need to be here doing this and challenging myself to, like, give all of myself to these things and, like, see the payoff. I wanted that. I wanted that. And I remember just the stillness of like, one email audition. I don’t fit this role. What what else am I going to do? I’m going to do it. You know– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: –what I’m saying like or like watching TV all day, you know what I’m saying? Because I didn’t want to deal with it, you know, like, how did I keep going? I think, honestly, I just couldn’t give up and be okay with that choice. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yes, yup. 

 

Coco Jones: Like, I really just had to ride it until these wheels felled the hell off like I couldn’t because I would be scared. I would be scared to give up and scared to keep going. So I was like which one? Which one is less scary? 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: And I felt like had I been like and I’ve had my parent’s and everyone’s support, I could do whatever. I wasn’t over here trapped. You know what I’m saying? Like, I could really be like, y’all, we had a good run with this. I got to do some great things and I’ll forever treasure those things. I’ve had this conversation in my mind too. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: But I think this is too hard and it’s too painful. And I want to I want to do something else, you know? 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: But then I would think, okay, what if I do that? I go back home, I go to college, there’s still time. I can get a degree and be kind of on track with my peers. And I’ll be that girl that used to do that thing, you know? 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: Is that, am I okay with that? And I’d be like, I can’t do it. I can’t. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: I can’t be that girl who used to do that thing. I’d rather be that girl who used to do that thing and worked her ass off– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yes. 

 

Coco Jones: –until there was nothing left to do. She did it all. She did everything she could do. But I couldn’t be that girl who walked away. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: No. 

 

Coco Jones: Without, you know, being no other option. So I think that’s why I just didn’t give up and um yeah. I mean, I don’t know any other thing. I just didn’t–

 

Yasmine Hamady: No. I–

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Period. 

 

Coco Jones: I couldn’t–

 

Josie Totah: And thank god, you didn’t. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Period. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: I always think like that, the word is just resilience, because I feel like so much in this industry. You’re you’re too small, you’re too big, you’re too good, you’re too bad no matter what. It’s never enough. And I feel like what you said was either I can give up, but it’s not really giving up, just stepping away. And you could do that thing or– 

 

Coco Jones: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: –keep going or let and like I don’t want to say die trying, but it’s better to be die trying doing what the hell you want to do with your life and like–

 

Coco Jones: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: –what a life it is. Because my grandfather always said this to me like my jid, like he’s 95. And he said, when you–

 

Coco Jones: Wow. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: –when you. Yeah, like he’s incredible. And he’s from Lebanon. He said, When you look back at your life, you don’t look back at all the failures or all the successes you look back at was I loving what I did? 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Was I living? 

 

Coco Jones: Mm hmm mm hmm. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: And if you said yes, then you lived a life and that’s exactly what you were doing and what you are doing. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: And that’s just beautiful– 

 

Coco Jones: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: –to watch. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. And–

 

Coco Jones: And that is so true. And I definitely think, like, it wasn’t just me being like, what the hell is going to happen with my career or my dreams? 

 

Yasmine Hamady: No. 

 

Coco Jones: I partied. Okay. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Period. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Go off. [clapping]

 

Coco Jones: I also had to grow up. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yes. 

 

Coco Jones: I also had to, like, live because hello like I stopped going to real school– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: –because I was working, so I went to homeschool. I didn’t even know what boys were giving. I went to the clubs, sneaking in like– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yes. 

 

Coco Jones: I had to live and like, find something to write about and say because all I knew was following script. 

 

Josie Totah: Right. 

 

Coco Jones: All I knew was singing these songs that I was told to sing. I didn’t know anything about myself. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: So like, at the same time, I’m like having these epiphanies as a business woman, but I’m also like, girl, he cute, like [?]. [banter]

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. Yeah yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: You know what I’m saying. I’m trying to live. 

 

Josie Totah: Yeah 

 

Coco Jones: Hanging out with, like, college girls. I started kicking it with these girls from USC and they became like my best friends. 

 

Josie Totah: Oh my gosh. 

 

Coco Jones: So I got to, like, be normal while also, like, not knowing what the hell was going on like [?]–

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: It was good and bad. Like it was just life at the time. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Thus is life. 

 

Coco Jones: You know. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: That’s literally life. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah absolutely.

 

Josie Totah: That’s such a good sentiment. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I think. I think like– 

 

Josie Totah: To like, have fun. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Absolutely have fun. I think I’m bad at that. I forget like– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Mind you, you see me and I know you be looking at me when I’m crazy because when I’m out, I dance. You feel me?

 

Coco Jones: Girl I’m like, you’re bad at having fun but girl you be having a blast. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Josie Totah: Right. [banter]

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: No, the way. Coco came to the pod and to check me. And as you should. [laugher] But–

 

Yasmine Hamady: Someone needed to.

 

Josie Totah: That’s what we say to her all the time, she’s like, I’m not. I’m never fun and like– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: No, no, no, but no, no, no, no. 

 

Josie Totah: –you’re the [?] life of the party. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Thank you. I appreciate– 

 

Josie Totah: But but I agree though. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: I appreciate that. 

 

Josie Totah: You have a hard time accepting– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yes. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Exactly. 

 

Josie Totah: –having fun and like– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Like you’re hard on yourself. 

 

Josie Totah: –in the moments with yourself. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Is what you are.

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah, exactly. Like in all transparency, I think I forget, like, God directs you in different seasons for different reasons. 

 

Coco Jones: Yeah. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Like, you learn different lessons in that time. And I think it’s really powerful that you said I had to grow up. I had to experience life to write about it. Because let me tell you something, the way I I’ll be doubling back. Sorry, that’s the new [indistinct]. 

 

Coco Jones: Period. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Anyways. Um. 

 

Coco Jones: Period. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Um. 

 

Coco Jones: I was like oh does she know the reference? I didn’t want to say anything. [banter] 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: No. Of course I did it on purpose, but I just embarrassed myself because no one laughed in the studio. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: No, no, it was amazing. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Anways.

 

Josie Totah: [indistinct] 

 

Coco Jones: I wanted to laugh, but I was like, wait, [indistinct fast talking] 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh, ooh ooh ooh oh. [banter] Like um. Doubling back to, like, your album. What I didn’t tell you, like, it’s written so beautifully, right? 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Oh my god. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: And it’s like doing so well and you’re nominated for, like, you know, outstanding artist in NAACP and stuff. And I think people forget, like as an artist, all work doesn’t serve you. It doesn’t serve your art form. It doesn’t serve your craft? Like I am inspired by the fact that you’re like nah I had to live life, I had to have, have fun. And I’m thankful that now I’ve learned to have fun with you. Um but– [laughter] 

 

Josie Totah: You have to live it to write about it too. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah, that’s the whole that’s the whole reason I do have to. I want to tell you this morning I was like, okay, I’m going to listen. I’ve already listened to your music, but I was like, I’m just going to put on and I didn’t listen to, ICU. I haven’t listened to that one yet. And I put that on. I swear to God, I told Alcyia this. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: I tears started coming down my face before I put on my makeup. Thank God. I was like– 

 

Coco Jones: Thank god. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: I. I stood by, I stood by the sink and I was just like, listening to every word that you wrote. And I was just like my heart felt like it was getting ripped out of my chest, but putting, put back in as well. And I just want to say like you’re changing lives out there with the words that you write and– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh for sure. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: –and and and and voice is just like it literally gave me goosebumps. I started physically crying and also and that’s art that you don’t see a lot anymore. I’m sorry. That’s art. 

 

Josie Totah: That that moves you.

 

Yasmine Hamady: And that’s music. 

 

Coco Jones: Thank you. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: And that’s art that you don’t see. And I’m so grateful that you’re here to deliver that to us. 

 

Josie Totah: Yeah. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: ICU puts me– 

 

Coco Jones: Thank you so much. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: –in my bag every time, so I have to be careful when I put it on, because I’m obsessed– 

 

Coco Jones: Oh yeah. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: –with that song. 

 

Coco Jones: She’s definitely– 

 

Josie Totah: How– 

 

Coco Jones: –definitely for a good old cry. 

 

Josie Totah: How did that record come about? I mean, that’s my favorite song on there. Our favorite song on the album. I think it’s amazing and and so– 

 

Coco Jones: Thank you. 

 

Josie Totah: –good and we always play it in the car. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Josie Totah: How– 

 

Coco Jones: Thank you. 

 

Josie Totah: What part of the journey was ICU and just the album in general? 

 

Coco Jones: Yeah, so ICU was actually a very vulnerable song. I remember I had I cut one version of it and I would listen to it and I was like, mm mm. I was like, this is I was like, I still have a little bit of my heart closed off to the song. And I really have learned, like, if you’re going to be an artist, you got to like, be able to bear it all and be okay with being like, you know, not pretty, ugly, like, sad, embarrassed– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: You have to be. 

 

Coco Jones: You know what I’m saying? Like, you got to be able to like really be transparent. So I went in to cut it again and I really had to think about the story and like, let it let it come through me. Like I’m in the studio crying, you know? But basically, ICU is about um there was this guy that definitely one of the first guys I’ve ever really loved, you know what I’m saying? And we both, like, met each other when we were like, not popping like very much not popping. And we like, of course, love each other. We were like, you and me, we doing this. Come on. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: And, you know, like as we started to, like, have more success, we kind of could not see each other anymore, you know? 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Ugh. 

 

Coco Jones: So we’d be so busy. He’d be there and I’d be here. And that was like, okay, we got all the things that we want, but now we’re not compatible anymore. So but it’s not like he did anything to me or I did anything to him. It’s just like the further we are from each other, the better we are for each other. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: And then we miss each other. So we come back and then we do the whole thing again. It’s like every time I step away, like I can’t breathe without this person. Like I care about them. But it’s just not. It’s not. It doesn’t make sense anymore now that we’re who we have been wanting to be. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Mmmm. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oof that’s–

 

Coco Jones: Mm hmm

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Well, that’s a word. 

 

Josie Totah: And that’s powerful. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: That’s a deep. And and we thank you for your transparency. A quick little [?], speaking about your music. We have to get into it, you went to the Grammy’s! Bitch.

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: I did. I did. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: What was going to the Grammys? What was meeting the queen herself? 

 

Coco Jones: Oh, my gosh. Y’all please.

 

Yasmine Hamady: I just got goosebumps. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Moment of silence. What!

 

Coco Jones: You know what? I think for me, honestly, when I did meet Beyonce– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: [gasping] Yup yup yup. All of us, like start shaking. 

 

Coco Jones: Okay. You know, we must just we must just say that with with respect. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Okay. Yes. 

 

Coco Jones: That she’s earned. Um. I was prepared to be like, hi, how are you? You know what I’m saying? I didn’t know how I was going introduce myself. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yes. 

 

Coco Jones: But I was like, how do I do this? You know, I was also nervous. I’m like, if she’s having a conversation, would hate to intrude. Gosh, you know, but my manager’s like get your ass up. I was like okay [?] of course of course.

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah Yeah Yeah.

 

Josie Totah: That’s a good manager. That’s a good manager.

 

Coco Jones: And when she looked at me, she was like, Oh, I know you. 

 

Josie Totah: Oh. Yes. 

 

Coco Jones: She was like, you be singing your ass off. [Yasmine shrieking] I was like– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: How did that feel in that moment? 

 

Coco Jones: No. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: How did that feel? 

 

Coco Jones: I said. Well, obviously I’m like thinking about 17,000 things–

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yes obviously. 

 

Coco Jones: I’m like, oh, my God, am I standing too close to her. I would hate to, like, breathe on her and offend her, you know? 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yes. 

 

Coco Jones: You know what I’m saying, like, what should we say? Should I shake her hand? I’m thinking so many things. And I’m like, did she just say that? Okay. Yes, she did. All right, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool. Now, what do you say next? You know what I’m saying like I’m thinking so many things but–

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah yeah yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Imagine you’re like thanks. 

 

Josie Totah: What did you say? 

 

Yasmine Hamady: [laughing] Imagine you’re like, thanks, Beyoncé. 

 

Coco Jones: Literally. I was like, Oh, my gosh, thank you so much. I was like, you know like you know who you are and to us–

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yes, yes. Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: So thank you like, and then I was like, could I get a picture [indistinct]– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Aw. 

 

Coco Jones: We got a picture and then um I just remember like walking away and being like, I definitely want to have that same effect on young, young girls. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yup. Yup.

 

Coco Jones: Like young, young women, young people. Because seeing her, I was like I gotta I I I just [?] I felt so motivated. Like– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah.

 

Coco Jones: So inspired, I felt like this woman is like she’s just the best at what she does. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: You know what I’m saying? And she carries that consistency with her in everything she touches. Like, I want to be like this. I’m going to be like this. 

 

[spoken together by hosts] Yes you are. 

 

Coco Jones: You know? And I want to, like, lol thank you.

 

Josie Totah: All of us. 

 

Coco Jones: Thank you guys.

 

Yasmine Hamady: The way we all– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: [?] like a choir. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: We’re like this. Yes. [banter] [laughter]

 

Coco Jones: It was very much giving group of Aunties. Thank you all so much. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. We agree. We support you. 

 

Coco Jones: But I was like– 

 

Josie Totah: We invest. 

 

Coco Jones: I want to be the light for someone else to make them, to look them in the eyes and be like, I know you. You’re doing your thing. She was like, I’m proud of you. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Ugh. 

 

Coco Jones: And I want to I want to pass that feeling on to the next girl. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: To the next person who has these dreams and who’s, who deserves them who works their ass off.

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Period. Well baby let me tell you something, you’re already doing that. 

 

Josie Totah: Yup, yes you are. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: You are.

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah you’re literally doing it to us– 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Like– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: –[?] right here. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: That’s just the truth. It can’t be negated. You’re already doing that. Um.

 

Coco Jones: [laugh] Thank you. 

 

Josie Totah: You’re going to continue to. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. And like– 

 

Coco Jones: Thank you. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: You’re only just growing and it’s so exciting for like the whole world to be like, Oh, we know who Coco is and the way I get a little offended. I’m like, if you know her just now, you been sleeping, but I’m glad you’re [?] now. 

 

Coco Jones: [indistinct]

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Um. And–

 

Yasmine Hamady: It is only the beginning. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: This is only the beginning I feel like. 

 

Coco Jones: Thank you.

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. And speaking of, how are you– 

 

Coco Jones: Thank you. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: –feeling about the show about to drop. Miss Hilary Banks. 

 

Coco Jones: Oh yes. I know. Big Hil [indistinct] 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Period. [indistinct]

 

Coco Jones: [laugh] I um. I’m really, really excited. I, I still sometimes have to like catch my breath and be like I, you know like sometimes I walk off set and I’ll be like, thank you guys so much. Like thinking I’m a guest star. You know? 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: I’m like thank you. And they’re like, girl, be here tomorrow at five. I’m like, Oh my God, this is my this is a show that I’m on, this is my show! 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah, yeah yeah.

 

Coco Jones: You know. It’s just so crazy. It’s so crazy. Of all the auditions for this to be like, you know, when, you know, as actors, you do it and do it. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Uh huh. 

 

Coco Jones: And then you’re like, you hit that link, and it’s like you hit the lotto or something.

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Period. 

 

Coco Jones: Life changed. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: Um. I’m really excited for season two. I think everybody has been buggin waiting for it. And I, I really just hope that they’re satisfied, you know like–

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: It’s really like. I think it’s a really tough thing to be cool in the culture and like modern, but also have that nostalgic– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah yeah yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: You know, feel and you know our show runners and everything, [?] they do a great job of that. I just you know hope that the audience loves it. 

 

Josie Totah: And they will, really quickly. You have gotten the stamp of approval from Queen Janet Jackson herself. Obviously, Beyoncé. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yup. 

 

Josie Totah: You’ve hit number one on the R&B charts. We like to do manifestation around here. What is one thing you want to put out in the universe? A goal of yours, a person you want to work with, a person you want to meet? Something in the future that you’re wanting to put out in the ether. 

 

Coco Jones: Hmm. Amen. I really want to go on a world tour. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yup. Yup. 

 

Coco Jones: I think that needs to be my next thing. Like, they haven’t seen me on a stage giving what it needs to give. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Oh my gosh. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Period. 

 

Coco Jones: And I always loved that. It’s so crazy the things that I’m doing now because I’m like, I did these things as well when I was literally like 14. You know what I’m saying like? 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: I’ve been on a whole tour. I toured with Mindless Behavior. Shout out to them. Purr. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Oh period. 

 

Coco Jones: Okay, you know um but yeah I want to be back on the road and connecting with all of these people who who love me. I want to like see them face to face and like, thank them and give them a great show, you know what I’m saying? 

 

Josie Totah: Yeah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yes! 

 

Coco Jones: Like that’s my that’s my job to, like, bring what I have to every city because they’re streaming and they’re supporting and without that, what is this so– 

 

Josie Totah: A– 

 

Coco Jones: I want to be on a big tour. 

 

Josie Totah: [indistinct] 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah, you will. 

 

Josie Totah: And you will. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: And that’s going to happen. That’s going to happen mark my words. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Well we’re excited. Yeah. Well, we’re excited to see this tour. You know, I’m a be twerking front row. 

 

Josie Totah: We’re going to be asking for tickets. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Thanking God for it. 

 

Coco Jones: I know girl.

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah, we are getting we’re going to ask you for tickets. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Uh. 

 

Josie Totah: We’ll be requesting a few tickets. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: We are already know. But uh thank you so, so much. This was so lovely. We are grateful for your time. We’re grateful for your spirit. Your energy, we will always be cheering you on and being fans, I hope you know here at Dare We Say we support you and uplift everything– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: We love you. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: –that you do. 

 

Josie Totah: We’ll be watching. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah, and we’ll be watching and hopefully come back any time you want to kiki and hang out. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Yeah. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Coco Jones: Yes. Thank you all so much. I had so much fun with you guys.

 

Yasmine Hamady: Oh, thank you for coming. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Thank you. 

 

Josie Totah: Thank you Coco. [music break] She is just such an icon, and– 

 

Yasmine Hamady: She is– 

 

Josie Totah: –God bless her for allowing us the time to speak to her. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: She’s so busy. And the fact that she made time for us. I genuinely feel honored. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Josie Totah: Honored and grateful. She’s amazing. Everyone, please go listen to her new EP out now, What I Didn’t Tell You. It is no skips. Back to back. Amazing. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Back to back to back to back. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: Yeah. 

 

Josie Totah: And speaking of backs. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: And speaking of hats, good shit. I wanted to show you guys what I have on my head. Ask me, Yasmine, what do you have on your head? 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: What do you have on your head? [mumbled] 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Oh, that’s funny you asked. I have the new, Dare We Say, merch on my head? That’s right. It says tough titties designed by yours truly. And it’s just something fun. It’s kind of giving all those, like, you know, those hinge guys that you see, those they’re usually white with, like, they have dead fish. They’re just, they just went fishing and they have the bass pro hats. These are based off them. 

 

Josie Totah: Except not because legally we don’t want to be in trouble. So please go ahead. Go to our website. Go to Crooked.com/store to get your hat now. [music break] Dare We Say, is a Crooked Media production. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: Caroline Reston is our showrunner, producer and Mommy. And Ari Schwartz is our producer and show Daddy. Fiona Pestana is our associate producer and Sandy Girard is the almighty executive producer. 

 

Josie Totah: It’s hosted and produced by me, Josie Totah. 

 

Yasmine Hamady: And me, Yasmine Hamady. 

 

Alycia Pascual-Peña: And me, Alycia Pascual-Peña. Our engineer and editor is Jordan Cantor. And Brian Vasquez is our theme music composer. Our video producers are Matt DeGroot, Narineh Melkonian, and Delon Villanueva and Mia Kellman. 

 

Josie Totah: Lastly, thank you to Jordan Silver, Gabriela Leverette, Jesse McLean, Caroline Heywood, Shaina Hortsmann, Deisi Cruz, Danielle Jensen and Ewa Okulate for marketing the show and making us look so damn good. 

 

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