DOE

A onetime member of the family gospel group forever JONES, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist DOE went on to earn her third Grammy nomination and first as a soloist with her featured spot on Jonathan McReynolds’ 2018 track “Cycles.” She debuted her own warm, soul-infused contemporary gospel music with the Doe EP in 2020. Two years later, she issued her first full-length, Clarity, which featured the gospel hit “Brighter.”
Born in Washington State and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, Dominique Jones grew up singing in church and was 16 when she, her parents (Dewitt Jones III and Kim Jones), and her four siblings (D’jeniele Hooten, Mya Jones, Dewitt Jones IV, and Judah Jones) started performing together as forever JONES. The group’s joyous mix of gospel, pop, R&B, and soul music quickly earned them a management deal, and they signed with EMI Gospel for their Tommy Sims-produced debut album Get Ready. Released in 2010, it resulted in Grammy nominations for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album and Best Gospel Performance (for “He Wants It All”). They followed it in 2012 with Musical Revival before parting ways with EMI. The group self-released their third album, the more introspective Prayer Tools, Vol. 1, in 2014. That year, Dominique, one of the group’s main songwriters, made the decision to go solo.
As DOE, Jones continued to meet with record labels while working as a youth pastor in Dallas. She eventually turned up in a featured spot on Jonathan McReynolds’ “Cycles,” which became a Top 20 gospel hit. It led to a nomination for Best Gospel Performance/Song at the 2019 Grammy Awards. In the meantime, she co-wrote a set of songs with McReynolds, her brother Judah, and Dee Wilson that would become her solo debut EP, Doe. Following the chart-topping debut single “Brighter,” it arrived on Life Room Label/RCA Inspiration in October 2020. “Brighter” also appeared on Jones’ 2022 full-length effort, Clarity, which included the singles “Mercy” and “So Good.” ~ Marcy Donelson