On a gray, cold afternoon I come across the Koffee reggae phenomenon, the weather in New York City could reasonably be described as “the opposite of Jamaica”. The 22-year-old has just been photographed in an old Queens convent with drafts, and is properly wrapped in a new pair of Very Own October sweats (OVO), a gift from the DJ Jamaican Creep, affiliated with Drake. Chromatic, with whom Koffee had acted He Tonight’s show starring Jimmy Fallon the night before our interview. Having spent most of his life in the quiet Spanish town, Koffee seems unaccustomed to the winter on the east coast. The first order of business is to find a room with a working heater, which is not uncommon in thisno-enchanted place. After opening countless crunchy doors, we find what we are looking for, and born musician Mikayla Simpson crawls on an old-fashioned green velvet sofa next to a whistling radiator. As soon as we start talking, however, Koffee proves to be his own source of contagious heat, a radiant presence that echoes the upbeat ethos of his music. “One of the biggest things about reggae music,” he says, “is that it’s high-pitched music. ‘a negative experience, take her back to a place where you can feel comfortable.’
Koffee’s calm vision has been helpful for the past two years as his rising career came to a sudden halt. In January 2020, after a few years of triumph after triumph, Koffee made history when she became the first female artist and the youngest person to win a Grammy for Best Reggae Album. Not bad for a five-song EP by a 19-year-old who had only just started releasing her music online a few years earlier. But the pause caused by the pandemic, Koffee tells me, was one of those negatives that could easily turn into a positive. In fact, he admits, “he felt a little relieved.”
“When it came to my successes, I wasn’t really recognizing or processing them 100%,” he says. “It simply came to our notice then. to do and in my skills. He showed me my role as an elevator and just to be that source of light. “
The pandemic also inspired his July 2020 hit “Lockdown,” a refreshing anthem for that long summer of our discontent. “Where are we going when the quarantine is over and everyone touches the road?” Koffee asks in a heartbeat. “Lockdown” is the final track Equipped, Koffee’s long-awaited debut album. An eclectic mix of dancehall, pop, reggae and a bit of afrobeat, Equipped is a tribute to his musical heroes (the album opens with a sample of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”) and a genre leap missive from a new generation of open ears. “I think I can amplify the sound [of reggae]”I can try different genres, try different styles or approaches that I know people enjoy, kind of get to know them halfway. Keep the positive message and just try different sounds to entertain everyone.”
Raised by a single mother, Koffee was considerably younger than her mother’s other four children, so she says, “I grew up as an only child.” As a result, she and her mother Jo-Anne Williams still share a deep bond, as evidenced by the lush and surprisingly named Williams Instagram account @jojothekoffeemaker. (A recent meme, posted on Koffee on the 22nd: “I can’t keep calm, it’s my daughter’s birthday.”) “She’s my biggest, biggest, and biggest advocate,” says Koffee. “She’s rooting for me.” When Koffee told him that he had met Tracee Ellis Ross in Fallon“Mama almost he fell. ”
“I can try different genres, try different styles or approaches that I know people enjoy, a kind of getting to know them halfway. Keep the message positive and just try different sounds to keep everyone entertained. “
Koffee began playing the guitar and writing rhymes in his early teens. At first, he says, “it was very basic lyrics, like the cat-rat-rat rhyme.” She laughed. “I was working on it almost every day while I was in class. All my notebooks would be full of letters instead of real notes. “
Then in August 2017, when Koffee was 17, he hung a heartfelt acoustic song he had written called “Legend,” a tribute to Jamaican hero Usain Bolt. A few hours after uploading, Bolt re-released it and the song went viral. “My mom and I were so excited we were yelling at home,” she says, smiling at the memory. “I wanted you to see it, but I didn’t know I would post it again.” The producers started hitting her, and one of them worked on her official debut single “Burning”, which came out a few months later. The Grammy-winning EP Kidnappingwhich included the hit conductor “Toast”, followed in 2019. In the music video, which has a whopping 195 million views, Koffee shows his hometown and his sense of style in an endearing relaxed way: colored monkeys cherry red and bass. sneakers, a striped T-shirt paired with corduroy and a shiny strapless jumper.
Asked about her personal style, Koffee took the opportunity to express “a perspective that doesn’t stand out much.” She continues: “Growing up in Jamaica, we have access to a lot less. It’s not like we’re under a rock, but when it comes to the latest fashion trends, we’re more like, ‘What works?’ We don’t necessarily have the newer things, so we’ll be using whatever is available. I’ve developed a simple style based on that: tracksuits, hoodies, stuff. But I think my style is growing a little bit as I experiment with things. different”.
There are many new life experiences on the horizon. As she prepares for her first set of Coachella, her longest headlining tour to date, and a coveted opening for Harry Styles, Koffee is eager to absorb as much as she can from other musicians. “That’s something I’m looking forward to, being with people from whom I can get advice and inspiration,” he says, “to become a better artist and improve my craft in every way possible.”
When I use this as a follow-up to ask about the lingering rumors she has worked with Rihanna, possibly on her legendary ninth album, Koffee suddenly becomes shy. “What I’m going to say is that I didn’t know him physically however, but I look forward to it, “he says, showing a wide, strapless smile.” As Jamaicans, “he adds,” we moooolt a little Rihanna. “
Like any superstar in training, Koffee has a busy day ahead. But before I camp out on (hopefully) warmer pastures, he leaves me a few more encouraging words when I ask him what the title of the album is. Equipped means to her. “It’s just to remind everyone, listen, once we have life, we’re gifted,” he says. “Life is a gift. We say it so loosely and randomly, but because it’s a gift once you’re alive, you already have the power to do whatever it takes.”
Top image credits: Bottega Veneta jacket and pants, Calvin Klein bra, Talent jewelry
Photographer: Ackime Snow
Stylist: EJ Briones
Art Director: Shanelle Infante
Talent reserves: Special projects
Video: Ackime Snow
