“Blessings all pon mi life and, mi thank God for di journey, di earnings a jus fi di plus (yeah), Gratitude is must (yeah)…“, with 89 million views on YouTube, Koffee’s single ‘Toast’ debuted back in 2018 launching her music career. Her song was even featured in the thriller by Jordan Peele, Us. Not only that but Tory Lanez made a remix to the song as part of his International Fargo project.
Originally from Spanish Town, Jamaica, Mikayla Simpson, or Koffee, first became influenced within the music scene from her mother’s religious background as an actor of the Seventh-Day Adventist. Simpson developed the name, Koffee, from her friends when she ordered a hot coffee instead of a soda on a hot day. She’s also referred to as the Original Koffee.
Growing up, Simpson sang in the church choir and taught herself guitar that she borrowed from a friend at the age of 12. Protoje, a famous Reggae artist, is one of Simpson’s biggest inspirations for her music today. Simpson first came to fame when she posted a video of herself on her Instagram singing a self-written song called ‘Legend‘ with just an acoustic guitar. The song was written as a tribute to Jamaica’s own Usain Bolt and the video became a viral sensation when Bolt reposted it on his own Instagram.
According to her official Facebook, Simpson’s mission is to “preserve Jamaica’s roots and culture in music and to empower the youth of her generation.” Even becoming a crossover artist, Simpson keeps the feel of Jamaica alive.
Also through her music, Simpson highlights the socio-political issues that plague Jamaica. according to her official website, she described never being directly affected by gun violence, she says, “With a lot of my music, it’s about entertaining people while highlighting problems in order to try and find a solution. I genuinely want to make the world a better place.” Her December 2018 single ‘Raggamuffin‘ called out gun violence and governmental neglect of the youth.
“With a lot of my music, it’s about entertaining people while highlighting problems in order to try and find a solution. I genuinely want to make the world a better place.”
Koffee according to her official website
Her most recent releases with Hip Hop artist Gunna and R&B/Neo-soul artist Daniel Ceasar, Jamaica is very well and alive in both songs. She is one of the artists today modernizing Reggae and Dancehall music. Her song with Gunna, ‘W’ has over 3.4 million views on YouTube and was released on November 26th. The video is shot in Jamaica and features different parts of her life that influenced Simpson growing up including a church choir.
Her feature on Daniel Ceasar’s song ‘Cyanide’ was also shot on the beautiful island of Jamaica. The song was released September 30th of this year. This song is where R&B and Reggae infuse and create a beautiful melody making you feel like you’re laying peacefully on the beautiful beaches of Jamaica.
It has only been two years since Simpson has been in the music industry and as a crossover artist with a political punch, she injects Reggae into everything. Simpson has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Reggae Album and is the youngest artist to top Billboard’s Reggae Chart. She stays true to her mission and now has a hit song in two different genres. Simpson has been announced as an opening act for Harry Styles on select dates of his North American leg of his 2020 Love on Tour.
