“When I was in grade nine, I started listening to reggae music and just exploring and expanding…widening my horizons as it came to music. And I buck up on Protoje and Chronixx and quite a few reggae artists who basically had a sick flow and resonated with what I wanted to do even just a little bit and that inspired me. Listening to them and listening to other artists, I just basically felt like I am really talented in this area and could really do this. If I put my mind to it I can’t go wrong.” Koffee told us.
Mickayla Simpson commonly known as Koffee, has become a household name both locally and internationally. Koffee was co-signed by reggae veteran Cocoa Tea. The artist had her first major performance in 2018 at Rebel Salute, where she definitely ensured that her mark was made. Koffee went viral for a song entitled ‘Legend’, a tribute to sprinter and track and field heavy weight Usain Bolt, gained over 400 thousand views on Youtube and this video was even re-posted by Usain Bolt himself. It was from there Koffee continued to set fire to the reggae industry releasing ‘Burning’ with Upsetta Records, as well as ‘Raggamuffin’ produced by Frankie Music, before signing to Columbia Records UK in 2018.
Koffee’s dynamic 2018 smash hit ‘Toast’ gained massive recognition upon its release. The upbeat and catchy track currently stands at a whopping 99 million views on Youtube, with millions of downloads, covers and streams worldwide. The song also caught the eyes of former U.S. President and former U.S. First Lady, Barrack and Michelle Obama in which the song was posted on the former first lady’s work-out songs playlist and the former U.S president’s summer playlist during the year 2019.
Koffee – Toast
Koffee had a ground-breaking 2019 as she released her first EP entitled ‘Rapture’ on March 14, 2019. The EP had five tracks including Toast. Koffee has also worked with artists such as Daniel Caesar, Protoje, Chronixx, J Hus, Jane Macgizmo, rapper Gunna and dancehall DJ Govanna on multiple collaborations and projects. This phenomenal EP opened doors for Koffee as not only did it gain her more international recognition, but it was also nominated for the 62nd annual Grammy Awards under the category Best Reggae Album of the year.
This nomination landed Koffee more popularity as everybody was interested to see who was the artist creating history by becoming the youngest and only female artist to be nominated for the reggae category. It was announced on January 26, 2020 that Koffee had won the Grammy and once again created history by becoming the youngest and only female artist to win a Grammy under the reggae category. A documentary filmed by Honda Stage in a collaboration with Billboard, shared her journey as a rising reggae sensation on December 6, 2019. Koffee is set to perform at the Super Bowl this upcoming weekend January 31,2020- February 1,2020 alongside dancehall artistes Squash and Shenseea, who have also been drafted to perform at the event. Certainly taking Ws and dodging all the Ls, Koffee is also set to perform at the biggest music festival worldwide, Coachella, in April 2020.
Photo by Drew Escriva
“I want to make a better world for the generation that’s coming up, to promote love and peace, and even though I’m young, I feel that the Creator has blessed me with talent and wisdom to get the job done.” – Koffee told us in 2019.
The 19 year old has certainly proven that with determination, hard work and passion there is no limit to what you can achieve. The sound of reggae music has definitely changed, as it has evolved from one drop slow tempo beats to a sound more inclusive of different genres such as hip-hop and r&b. We cannot wait to see what Koffee does next and Carib Voxx is in full support of her and knows she will continue to succeed.
