A time was had at the Soul Train Awards 2023! Keke Palmer served as the hostess doing the most and invited viewers to her house party for the newly formatted awards show. One of the artists to receive an award at this year’s unconventional program was none other than Coco Jones who was named Best New Artist. Her win should come as no surprise as she has had her foot on our necks since 2022. The “ICU” singer was on hand to collect her award, and she even got to grace the stage to perform solo, with SWV and with BJ The Chicago Kid.
When Keke presented Coco with her Best New Artist trophy, the starlet was her usual poised and humble self. “I hope that I can do my culture justice, continue to be passionate and break down barriers and create more platforms for us like the Soul Train Awards,” Jones said during her brief but sweet acceptance speech.
Coco went from sweet to turning up the heat during her performances. She chose to sing What I Didn’t Tell You cut “Double Back” first and sounded superb live. Awash in red light, the stunner had everyone’s attention at the house party and watching at home.
Midway through the song, she introduced SWV who began to sing their hit “Rain,” which “Double Back” samples. ’90s R&B icons Coko Gamble, Lelee Lyons and Taj George were fresh dressed to impress in coordinating all-black looks. After lead singer Coko sang the first verse of “Rain,” Coco joined SWV on stage for the chorus, which turned into a beautiful mashup of both songs. It was the kind of cross-generational, musical moment that we love and live for at an awards show.
Following that mind-blowing live collaboration, Coco Jones could have dropped the mic, packed up her award and gone on her merry way, but she wasn’t done yet! Miss Jones had one more performance left in her, joining BJ The Chicago Kid to sing their playful duet “Spend The Night.” The soulful pair breathed life into the song from BJ’s brand-new album Gravy and exhibited some of their chemistry from the music video.
The Soul Train Awards 2023 was low-key Coco Jones’ night. We love that for her. In case you missed Coco on this year’s Soul Train Awards telecast, watch her performances right here.
