Cosette Jones | Sunday Blessings

Jay Hildebrandt interviews Christian singer Cosette Jones, A Utah mother of six who gained recognition when she became a top ten finalist in a nationwide singing contest put on by Grammy nominated songwriter and pianist Jim Brickman. Cosette talks about how that experience changed her life and her hopes for touching listeners with her faith-focused songs.

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The Sunday Blessings Podcast is hosted by Jay Hildebrandt and features stories of faith, hope, and inspiration. You'll hear extended interviews, musician & artist spotlights, and more. Sunday Blessings can be heard weekly on Sundays from 5am-5pm mountain standard time on Classy 97, Sunny 97, and Classy 97 Lite.

Sharing stories of faith, hope, and inspiration. This is the Sunday Blessings podcast. Welcome to our Sunday Blessings podcast. I'm Jay Hildebrandt and I'm here with Cozette Jones, an up and coming singer, and we're just so happy to have you with us today. Thank you.

I'm so thrilled to be here. So I was very impressed when I I heard your music for the first time several weeks ago that that was sent to us and we always like to feature our new artists as we introduce some of their songs. But this is something I you haven't been doing this all your life, have you? Tell us how you got into this. So I've been into music ever since I was little.

I mean, music is always a huge part of me. Uh-huh. So but it was wasn't until just a couple of years ago, Jim Brickman, who's kind of a piano player Yeah. And he was holding a nationwide nationwide talent show Wow. And talent contest, I should say.

And so he just talent show Wow. Talent contest, I should say. And so he just put the feelers out. Here's this contest, and I happened to come across it, and I entered on a whim. I'm a mom of 6, so I'm pretty busy doing other things.

Yeah. I'll bet. But and I thought, well, okay. We'll shoot it out, and we'll see. And it was kinda during COVID.

Yeah. And so I recorded myself. We happened to have a microphone, brand new, trying to figure that out, and I entered the contest and behold, I made it to the top 10. Wow. And so it was that that was kind of the catalyst of going down this road.

And it was my husband that decided as a Christmas present after that competition was over to then try to find some piano player and composer, ranger that could help me take my music further. Wow. So how long ago was this then? So that was just a couple years ago. 2, 3 years ago.

Yeah. So well, were you surprised? I was very surprised. Yeah. Surprised, thrilled, excited, everything.

So because I felt very thwarted in that competition, like, I was stuck to karaoke tracks. Yeah. And usually just my singing, I mean, I've had voice lessons and stuff. Yeah. But I still felt kind of boxed in.

Yeah. And so being being able to work with somebody now that can knows my voice and can write music for me and especially in this Christian realm Yes. And just take it to a new level. Yeah. That that's great.

So and and you do do mostly Christian songs. Am I right? Yes. Yes. Now Okay.

Yeah. So originally, I love with the name Cosette. Yes. I grew up loving Broadway. Yes.

I have a question. Musical theaters was in my blood from a young, young age. Mhmm. But it wasn't until this process that just kinda line upon line, and I never really knew Christian music. Yeah.

I knew the hymns, but not really beyond that Yeah. Until this recent just couple years. So you're focusing on on hymns kind of things, our pure familiar ones for mostly what I I've heard of it. Very Yes. Beautiful arrangements of them too.

Mhmm. So why is that so meaningful for you to choose that type of music? It's the hymns touch, oh, just the testimony, It just raises and elevates my talent so much more. I've always, like I said, love singing, but to add your spirit and testimony Yeah. And music is a universal language and it can touch hearts in ways that, at least for me, I feel like nothing else can.

Yeah. And so and it's just nothing brings me to tears faster than music does. It that's very powerful, isn't it? Yes. It is.

Yeah. Yeah. So, so that and so that that really touches you and and you're hoping to touch other people by that. Yes. And have you seen that happen yet?

We are on the beginning end of this. I hope it can go further and touch more. I have just as we in connection to recording music, I've already met. I've realized I started this process kind of solo. Yeah.

You know thinking it was my music, my singing and quickly realized no this music goes so much further and it's collaborative and it can reach so many more people from the pianist, from the violinist, we have several different instruments coming on different songs let alone. We also do music videos in conjunction with recordings. And we try to especially we've kind of started in the state of Utah Yeah. And explore different locations or different venues, different religious buildings. And so I've sung in Catholic churches, Episcopal buildings, like, it's and because of that putting me in places like that, I've met all sorts of wonderful people from all walks of life already and it's greatly enriched my experience.

Well, that's that's that's wonderful. So I'm I'm curious about the that's wonderful. So I'm I'm curious about the adding the video to this. So you you're a creative person. You because you love to to sing, but what is special about adding video that maybe magnifies this whole creative process?

It's just it really adds adds that visual element, and I'm so visual as a person. I love color, obviously. And just I think it creates a moment and it creates when I listen to a song when it's kind of in the early stages, and I first kind of envision where do I picture this music when I think of a setting. And there was one song that's up and coming, Amazing Grace that we have recorded now. But and I immediately thought of outdoors.

I I pictured it kind of in Park City and we just landed. There's a McPoland Barn and we were able to do a video there and it just captures the essence and for me just brings it it just completes it. So tell me a couple of songs that I've heard were were, Weary Traveler. Mhmm. Tell me about the meaning of of that behind that song and why you chose that one.

Oh, Weary Traveler. This is like one of my kids. Oh really? Yes weary traveler is one of the first songs that I recorded. And it was when I choose different Christian songs, you know kind of which songs first that I'm getting to know that are out there Yeah.

And Jordan St. Cyr is one who is the original artist on this song and it it just the lyrics of this song the message weary traveler I think so many people can relate to and we were going through in our home kind of a trying time you know and it's just struggles and I felt so many times it's the message is weary traveler but you're never meant to be alone which the savior will always walk beside us and carry us through those challenging times and I connected from that song to that song from the get go. And even still that song recorded it now because we did the video, I can visually imagine myself in certain settings. We videoed part of it outdoors at Snowbasin, and it just it makes me cry so many times because I connect. I'm like, oh, like I said, it's like a child to me.

Right. Yeah. Because I connect with it so much. And then I also the one that's it's it's 2 songs in one sort of. Tell me about that one.

The In Christ Alone and Come Thou Fount. Yeah. And and why you combine decide to combine those 2 and and the meaning of those songs for you? So that one we kind of fortune we lucked out because of the licensing on that one. Most most licensing, they don't want you to add another song to it, but that one we got the okay to do that and to layer the hymn on top of that classic Christian hymn too.

And, I've always since I was a little kid I think Come Now Found has been one of my favorite hymns and so and to see it in the new Church Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints hymn book Yes. Is wonderful to see. Yeah. And it's just another one that's beautiful and I think when the piano is combined and with another instrument it just beautifies and makes these songs and elegant Yeah. I got a good word for it.

Now do you do the arranging on on all of these or have someone else do this? So somebody else does that. Okay. CJ Madsen does that. Okay.

And he's he's the pianist on most of these videos that I do. Yeah. And so and he is the mastermind behind that arrangement. He has a lot of formal education and it shows and he has he's very talented but he has a very strong testimony too that he puts into this. That's great.

So tell me about your family. I'm interested in this. You're starting this kind of new music career and you have 6 kids and how how do they feel about this? So oh I love it. So so our oldest just barely started college down at BYU.

Oh, yeah. So down until we have a 5 year old, a little girl. And my favorite thing is when I'm learning these songs, I blast it on the speakers at home Yeah. And it's so cool to see my kids know these songs. So my daughters especially will if they hear the music they start singing along with it whether I'm singing or not.

And just having that connection and now being able to record, so it's almost like I'm not a journaler, but it's documentary documenting that for posterity. Yeah. And and And see if you can make Uh-huh. That's right. So what advice would you give to other people in who are are in your shoes as you were several years ago and thinking, oh, I this is something I might like to do.

What should they how should they pursue that? I think just follow never forget your dreams and always follow the lord gives you line upon line. And that's what I've really felt through this process is little by little. Sometimes I get ahead of myself and I think, oh, but I wanna be able to sing there or do that. And it has been line upon line consistently doors opening and so it's never give up.

You're never too old. I do feel like I'm a mom of 6 like, you know, you see these other artists that are in their twenties and I wish maybe it could have happened sooner, but then I wouldn't change what I have today being a mom for anything. Yeah. And it's just evolved and I feel like it happened for a reason and I'm where I'm supposed to be for a reason. Yeah.

Yeah. And Well, that's that's that's wonderful because that then as I talk with artists like you, I can already feel your your, witness and testimony of of the heavenly father and and Jesus Christ through your music, but but tell us that verbally just to conclude here. Oh, yes. I have a huge love of my savior and the music just amplifies that. And like I said earlier nothing invites the spirit quicker than music does.

Whether it's in certain meetings or I don't you don't even have to be when I'm in a Bravenel hall with a symphony it's just there's so many different settings that music just can really bring heaven to earth. Yeah. And it testifies of Christ and his love for us. And it's it makes me feel like he's aware of me and my situation and it just it boosts me out sometimes, you know, sometimes it it's happy, sometimes I'm stressed and struggling and I need to listen to music to ground me and to center me and it does that. And I'm so grateful for that.

And I'm grateful for my savior for giving the gift of music to us on earth and it just beautifies everything. Well, thank you, Cozette. We're grateful to you for sharing your talents of music with with the rest of us. Thank you so much, Jay. We've been talking with Cozette Jones, an up and coming artist, in the Christian music world.

I'm Jay Hildebrand. This is Sunday Blessings. Thanks for joining us. Thanks for listening to the Sunday Blessings podcast. If you enjoy the show, please share, subscribe, and rate the podcast.

Sunday Blessings is hosted by j Hildebrand and is a production of Riverbend Media Group. For more information or to contact the show, visit riverbendmediagroup.com.