After months of speculation and a tantalizing hint from recent single “West Indies” – Today, February 3rd, 21 year old Koffee announces the release of her debut album Gifted due March 25th via Sony Music U.K./RCA Records. Having garnered attention with her 2019 global anthem “Toast” and subsequent EP Rapture, it’s hard to believe that Koffee is yet to release a full-length album – in the short time she’s been making music she’s become a pillar of the reggae and dancehall music community, radiating her message of hope and positivity from her home in Spanish Town, Jamaica to audiences around the world. Prioritizing authenticity, she’s created an album that transcends its influences, creating an innovative and fresh body of work that is ready to push the genre forward.
To mark the news of Gifted, today also sees Koffee release her brand new single “Pull Up.” Making its broadcast premiere on MTV Live, MTVU, BET Soul, BET Jams, launching as Clara Amfo’s “Hottest Record” on BBC Radio 1 and produced by Afroswing pioneer Jae5, the track is accompanied by a KC Locke-directed video that swaps the island setting of her previous video for “West Indies” (filmed on the cliffs of West End, Negril) for the less tropical location of a shipping yard in Manchester, UK – nonetheless, Koffee exudes joy as she speeds through the urban landscape, exclaiming what her audiences have known for a long time “I don’t play, you will never ever find another like me.”
2022 will see Koffee taking her electrifying live show to stages across the globe including the recently announced US dates on her “Gifted Tour” as well her debut appearance at Coachella. In addition, Koffee will celebrate the album’s release with a number of intimate in-store shows throughout the UK, starting at London’s EartH on the day of its release.
“Pull Up” is the latest musical statement from an artist that has reshaped, modernized and revitalized reggae, bringing it to a whole new audience. It comes on the back of an incredible few years for the Spanish Town-born artist, who made history in 2020 by becoming the first female and youngest ever artist to win the Best Reggae Album award at the GRAMMYS for her Rapture project. Alongside a string of high profile musical collaborations (including J Hus, Gunna, Daniel Caesar), Koffee also recently contributed to the soundtrack of 2021’s “The Harder They Fall” on Netflix.
Watch and listen to “Pull Up” above, see full tour routing below and stay tuned for more from Koffee coming soon.
Upcoming Live Dates
UK
03/25/2022 – Rough Trade East @ EartH Hackney
03/26/2022 – Rough Trade Nottingham @ instore
03/27/2022 – Crash Leeds @ Brudenell Social Club
03/28/2022 – HMV Coventry @ Empire
03/29/2022 – Rough Trade Bristol @ instore + evening show @ Fleece
03/30/2022 – Banquet Kingston @ Pryzm
North America
4/11/2022 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
4/12/2022 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
4/14/2022 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield or Masonic
4/16/2022 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Festival
4/17/2022 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
4/19/2022 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
4/23/2022 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Festival
4/27/2022 – Miami Beach, FL @ Fillmore Miami Beach
4/28/2022 – St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live!
4/30/2022 – Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues – Orlando
5/2/2022 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground
5/3/2022 – Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore Silver Spring
5/5/2022 – Toronto, ON @ History
5/7/2022 – Montreal, QC @ MTELUS
5/9/2022 – Boston, MA @ Big Night Live
5/11/2022 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia
5/12/2022 – New York, NY @ The Rooftop at Pier 17
5/14/2022 – Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall
5/15/2022 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues – Chicago
5/17/2022 – Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works
5/18/2022 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
5/20/2022 – Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Music Festival
05/26/2022 – Santa Cruz, CA
05/27/2022 – Bakersfield, CA
Koffee
Gifted
March 25th 2022
Sony Music U.K./RCA Records
About Koffee:
Me? I’m just down to earth.” 21-year-old musician Mikayla “Koffee” Simpson may be small in stature but her modesty –and height –belies huge amounts of talent. The 5’0, self-described “sing-jay-guitarist” is one of the most exciting, forward thinking, globally focused talents to emerge in recent years and has reshaped, modernised and revitalised reggae for a whole new global audience.
Born in Spanish Town, just outside of Kingston, Jamaica, Koffee was bought up alone by her hard working mother, her father having left for New York when Koffee was an infant. “Mummy struggled so I didn’t have to,” remembers Koffee. An occasional actress who works for the Ministry of Health and who gives sex education and body positivity talks to young people, Koffee’s mum sheltered her daughter from a lot of the violence that afflicted their community. “I was aware of curfews and shootings growing up but it wasn’t necessarily a reality for me because I didn’t experience anything directly,” she says. “I would hear about gunshots over in [neighboring] Gordon Pen, but where I live, in Eltham View, it’s a mellow vibe. It’s a pretty friendly community, we know each other for the most part and we get along well.”
Though she was able to avoid explicit scenes of bloodshed, the socio-political problems that permeate parts of Jamaica have seeped into her music, helping to make Koffee the artist she is today. “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.”
This positivity shines throughout Koffee’s music and manifests itself in her success. Her 2019 debut Rapture EP took the sounds of new Jamaica and presented them to the world, culminating with Koffee becoming both the first ever female and youngest ever artist to win the Best Reggae Album award at the GRAMMYs. A bona-fide breakout star, Koffee has collaborated with the likes of J Hus, Gunna, Protoje and Daniel Ceasar, recently stepped on stage with WizKid in front of 20,000 people at London’s legendary O2 venue, fronted global campaigns for the likes of Nike Air Jordan and Clarks and performed the title track to this year’s acclaimed The Harder They Fall film on a stacked soundtrack that featured the likes of Jay-Z, Jadakiss, Barrington Levy, Cee Lo Green, Backroad Gee and Lauryn Hill.
