Jones was born at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Michigan, to a teacher at the Flint Foundation Academy. She was raised by her grandmother, Ruth Jefferson Morris. An only child, Jones is a Baptist who began singing at the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church at age five. She was formally trained in classical music, although her favorite genre is gospel music. Jones always dreamed of becoming a singer. Jones was the 1997 winner of Flint's amateur talent show, The Supershow, which is now-defunct. While living in Houston, she took second place in the 2005 Gimme the Mic competition.