Two minutes into nine-year-old Courtney “Coco” Jones’s rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” during a St. Louis Rams game, there was a subdued moment that highlighted her enduring need to be praised for her vocal prowess. Jones held the microphone, his glittery dusty pink nails and Rams jersey on display.
Her vocal runs, which turned the national anthem into a melancholic ballad, were her only concentration.
The fairly silent audience burst into applause as the young singer approached the final two lines of the song, which is the most vocally demanding part of the song. Though short, the adulation was perfectly sufficient.
Hearing the audible confirmation, Jones, who had been gazing down at the ground in a moment of intense concentration, looked up at the audience. With a broad smile on her face and a missing side tooth that gave away her age, she spoke with a maturity that belied her years.
The young performer seemed to be thinking to herself, “At last, they woke up and paid attention!”
This was not an accident; rather, it was a moment in her life that she dedicated to providing entertainment to crowds ever since she left elementary school. “I just didn’t like when people weren’t astonished by me,” Jones says.
Even though it didn’t happen as quickly as she had hoped as a bright youngster, Jones has mostly attained the success she had always desired.
Following an extended, unplanned sabbatical from her job, Jones, 25, has now re-emerged in the public eye.
She worriedly watched her social media involvement dwindle for several years between her time as a Disney star and her current comeback, fearing that she would be added to the lengthy list of gifted child stars who were unable to turn their youthful appeal into a successful career.
