BY RICHARD JOHNSON
Observer senior reporter—
Koffee
GQ Magazine has hailed 19-year-old singjay Koffee as the artiste who could help lead reggae’s return to the mainstream. he is featured in the latest issue of the United Kingdom’s version of the popular glossy, in an article headlined ‘Koffee is the artist spearheading 2019’s reggae revival’.
According to GQ, the artiste — who has only been on the scene for two years — has already amassed an impressive following and is definitely one to note.
“Having already performed with reggae masters Protoje and Chronixx – upon their own invitation, no less – you’d think that Koffee (aka Mikayla Simpson) would already have an extensive backlog of tracks in her discography. Nope. She’s only released five singles and her first EP, Rapture, is set to be released on March 14, but that hasn’t stopped her from becoming reggae music’s most exciting rising star. Just last month, she sent the crowd wild at Bob Marley’s 74th birthday celebrations in Kingston, Jamaica, impressively holding her own at an event honoring the life of a true musical hero. Her performance had no frills or gimmicks to win her audience over, just pure, unadulterated talent,” the article read.
Tracking Koffee’s trajectory, the article noted some of the major stops on her journey, including an acoustic tribute to sprint king Usain Bolt which went viral after he posted the song on his social media pages. She rode that wave, releasing the hit singles Burning, Raggamuffin, Toast and Throne.
“With her rich blend of sunshine beats and a lyrical flow that never falters, she’s basically Gen Z’s answer to (deejay) Sister Nancy. With two more songs due to be released with the launch of her EP, we’re as eager to hear what else she has to offer as we are to see the sunshine return,” the GQ story continued.
Koffee is one of dancehall’s hot properties. She was named in BBC 1-Xtra’s list of ‘Hot for 2019 Artistes’ and signed to Columbia Records UK in 2018.
Originally from Spanish Town, her career began at Ardenne High School in Kingston where she was discovered by a teacher, Cannijia Palmer.Sponsored Links
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