'Bel-Air' star Coco Jones on finally finding chart success with 'ICU,' working with 'captivating' Will Smith, and her dream day off

• Coco Jones has just scored her first hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with "ICU."
• She's also preparing to film a third season of the Will Smith-produced "Bel-Air."
• Jones spoke to Insider about juggling two careers, finding chart success, and working with Smith.

Being able to successfully balance a music career alongside a career in Hollywood is something only a select few can manage.

Coco Jones is one of them. 

Recently signed to Def Jam Recordings, the 25-year-old former Disney Channel star released her fifth EP, "What I Didn't Tell You," in November. This week, the project's lead single, "ICU," scored Jones her first hit on the Billboard Hot 100, coming in at No. 88.

Since 2022, Jones has also been starring in Peacock's record-breaking, Will Smith-produced series "Bel Air" – a dramatic reimagining of the 1990s sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" in which Smith starred.

The second season of "Bel-Air" premiered in February and the show has already been renewed for a third.

Jones told Insider that juggling being both a singer and an actor is a challenge, but one she loves.

"It's not easy because there's two conflicting entities that want my time at the same time," she said. "It's definitely a balancing act. Right now, we've just finished filming season two, so now I just finished press mode and now it's about recording mode."

"It's just about filling up the year with different chapters to get it all done," Jones added.

Here, Jones discusses with Insider the joys of finally finding chart success with "ICU," what it's like working with Will Smith, and how she would spend her dream day off. 

How pleased are you with the reception to "What I Didn't Tell You?"

I'm beyond pleased. I've had such a long journey in this industry, so I try to keep my expectations very minimal. So to see all of this positivity, it's surprising because you don't expect it, you just hope that it does decent. When you get this much support, it's really hard to describe. I feel really grateful.

Tell us about the story behind "ICU."

I definitely wanted to tell my story of heartbreak. I feel like the people that know me, even they've never seen me in a relationship. They don't even know if I have ever been in love. So it's a story that I haven't told people about my first ever relationship, the long span of it, and how wonderful and terrible it was at the same time. It was a very vulnerable story but I felt like it was important to share because it makes me who I am.

Who would you list as your musical inspirations?

I definitely always strive to take elements of Beyoncé's perfection and her execution. I always strive to take elements of Jazmine Sullivan and her soul, Aretha Franklin and her passion. A lot of artists inspire me in different ways, so I keep all of them in mind. But when I'm creating, I'm really just trying to do what feels authentic to me.

What's next for you on your musical journey?

"What I Didn't Tell You" has been my biggest success so far. The next thing is to just do better than that. I'm only really competing with myself when I go into the studio, but being the type of person I am, when I've done something, I know I can go bigger. Also, I just want to keep being authentic to my own stories and make songs that feel infectious. I've learned a lot about what my audience likes from performing. They want to feel heard and they want to feel positivity. They want to feel united together in the confusion that is life.

"Bel-Air" has just been renewed for a third season. How excited are you to continue that journey?

I am excited. Who knows what's to come and how we're going to continue to evolve these characters? I'm curious to see myself. 

What's it like working under Will Smith?

Yeah, I mean he's a star. His energy is very captivating. Him and his production company are very supportive. So it feels like you're doing something new and scary, but everyone from the original supports you, so it's very comforting to work with him and his company. You definitely watch him and you learn a lot, just how to carry myself and command a room and be decisive.

Do you ever get any downtime?

I do. But it's random and it's inconsistent.

How would you spend your dream day off?

I would probably wake up whenever I felt like it. I'd have a bunch of food delivered to my house and the wifi would be perfect and I'd watch a bunch of movies. When I feel social, then I'd go somewhere with my girls. To a place where you're allowed to dress down and it's not weird if you're in sweatpants. Then we'd eat food and we'd laugh. And then I'd come back to my house, my family would be there and we'd laugh and eat. There's a lot of eating going on. And then when they go home, I'd be like, "Perfect, 'cause I wanna be by myself now." And then I'd finish watching movies and fall asleep. It would be just a perfect balance of everything.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.