Willie Jones

Willie Jones fuses modern country-pop with hip-hop as part of a wave that also features Kane Brown and Jimmie Allen. He favors glossy, vibrant textures anchored mainly by a heavy beat, which lets him move fluidly from melodic singing into rap delivery. That approach first surfaced on his 2021 debut album Right Now and received further sharpening through the 2023 tracks “Them Girls Do” and “No Tellin’,” both included on his Sony Music major-label debut Something to Dance To. Later pairings with Ben Burgess and Norman North extended the same hybrid sound.

Raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, Jones absorbed a wide array of styles during childhood—R&B, rap, pop, gospel, and country—while also attending a performing-arts high school and singing in area choirs. A ninth-grade stage appearance sparked his lasting interest in country, which he then pursued through independent study. His initial opportunity arrived with a 2012 audition for The X Factor; although friends viewed him primarily as a rapper, he delivered an assured rendition of Josh Turner’s “Your Man” that impressed both the panel and the audience. After the show he joined the MAGCON influencer tour, using those dates to refine his artistic direction.

In 2018 Jones signed with the Empire-affiliated label Penthouse and issued the single “Runs in Our Blood,” whose blend of country, R&B, and hip-hop marked the emergence of his distinctive genre fusion. Additional singles followed across the next two years—“Down for It,” “Whole Lotta Love,” “Bachelorettes on Broadway,” and “Back Porch”—before Right Now appeared in early 2021. The album positioned itself stylistically between Lil Nas X’s country-trap and Jimmie Allen’s contemporary country approach.

Three non-album tracks—“Down by the Riverside,” “Get Low, Get High,” and “Slow Cookin’”—appeared by the close of 2021. After releasing the digital single “Bein’ Green” and a revised “Get Low, Get High” featuring Jon Batiste and Michael Todd, Jones launched a new album cycle in early 2023 with “No Tellin’” and “Them Girls Do.” Both songs featured on Something to Dance To, his second full-length and first release for Sony Music. That November he joined Ben Burgess on “Dive Bar,” then collaborated with Norman North on the 2024 track “Forgive Me.” He also issued the three-song EP The Live Sessions.