Black is Beauty – Caribbean Connection

The One & Only Koffee 

By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer 

#Jamaica, February 15, 2023 – What began as a heartfelt tribute to Usain Bolt, Jamaica’s sprint king has culminated in a historic Grammy and a spectacular discography for Mikayla Victoria Simpson simply known as Koffee.  The Jamaican reggae artist was born on February 16 2000.  Koffee at 22-years old is the youngest and only female Grammy winner in the Best Reggae Album category and has an NAACP Image Award for her outstanding international song, ‘Lockdown.’

“Cah bawl inna life man” the opening line to her breakout single ‘Toast’ has become an international phrase symbolic of the gratitude the starlet encourages in the song.

Born in Spanish Town Jamaica to a single mother she began singing in the church choir, a self-taught guitarist she’s been writing songs since she was in high school.  Her inspiration, she says, is fellow artiste Protoje with whom she now brushes shoulders and even has a collaboration, ‘Switch it Up’.  Before the fame, she kept her talent, mostly in her bedroom until her friends pushed her to take it further

“They had a show in the cafeteria one day and people were going up to perform poems and songs.  My friends encouraged me to go up and perform so I did and the place loved it.  I had no idea it was an audition until my name got called over the intercom,” she says.

After releasing a few of her own songs, including ‘Burning,’ Koffee caught the eye of some of Jamaica’s biggest stars, including Cocoa T, Protoje, and Chronixx who helped guide her in the music industry.

In that fateful tribute to Usain Bolt she opens ‘To di worl wi a tek it, we likkle but wi tallawah’ now those same words can be used to describe her own journey. Since coining ‘Toast’ the tiny singer (at 5’0 flat) has worked with, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, and Sam Smith, and has been signed to Columbia Records.  She’s worked with brands like Arsenal, Mastercard, Nike H&M Jordan’s and Calvin Klein.

‘Toast’ was certified Platinum in the UK only days ago on February 10th and Koffee says she’s only just getting started.