Coco Jones’ debut album Why Not More? is a hard-fought culmination of years of work with her talents on full display since childhood. However, her transition from Disney teen actor to singer during the 2010s was rocky, with a robust discography of singles and EPs under her belt before she eventually parted ways with her first label. “I got signed when I was 14 and dropped when I was 16, and it was disappointing because I had this feeling that as soon as I get that one opportunity, it’ll all grow like rapid fire,” Jones tells Apple Music’s Nadeska Alexis. “It did not go that way. I think that was when, inwardly, there was a shift in me, and it went from certain to foggy and unsure what I was going to get in return for all of this effort.” Despite navigating an often turbulent industry, Jones has laid the groundwork over the last couple of years, starting with the success of her 2023 breakout EP What I Didn’t Tell You, which introduced fans—old and new—to a grown-up Coco and not only cemented a Grammy for her somber track “ICU,” but solidified her as a rising star and one of the faces of the new generation in R&B. Those accolades, along with headlining her first solo tour in 2023, all readied her for this moment. Why Not More? finds the South Carolina native more comfortable trusting her instincts than on its predecessor, and showing the different sides to her musicality. “I’ve been asking myself this during the album: ‘Should I do this? Can I? Is this allowed? What do people think if I do that?’ And I really loved the theme of ‘why not more?’” she explains. “Why can’t I just lean into all the things? Really, what is the answer to the ‘why not more,’ and is that enough, that answer? No, because it’s all rooted in fear. I can’t live like that. I got to jump.” And she does. She isn’t afraid to push boundaries across the album’s 14 tracks, traversing a spectrum of genres seamlessly while keeping R&B at the center. Jones samples Britney Spears’ hit song “Toxic” on the seductive “Taste,” continues the pop energy on the acoustic track “Hit You Where It Hurts,” and delves into the trap-soul soundscape with an assist from Future on “Most Beautiful Design,” while the title track has Jones teaming up with YG Marley to deliver a reggae-influenced song. “I don’t even feel like there is a formula at this stage of music. It’s just whatever catches catches. And that’s outside of all of us,” she says. “So you might as well, in the meantime, do what you love to do instead of trying to always be doing what you think is going to work.” Her growth isn’t just reflected in the music but in the themes and storytelling as well. While love and relationships are a core part of Why Not More?, Jones also brings empowerment and self-love to the forefront (“By Myself”), embraces her sexuality and sensuality (“AEOMG,” “On Sight”), and lets herself get braggadocious and egotistical (“Keep It Quiet”).