Koffee’s ‘Rapture’ Wins Best Reggae Album At Grammy 2020
Koffee has won the 2020 Grammy award in the Best Reggae Album category for the EP Rapture.
Koffee, whose real name is Mikayla Simpson, made history as the youngest and the first woman ever to win a Grammy for Best Reggae Album.
The Jamaican singing sensation collected the award at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Centre, Los Angeles on Sunday (Jan. 26).
Accepting the award, Koffee thanked hะตr producers and fะตllะพw muััััะฐnั ะulัะฐn ะะฐrlะตั, ะ tะตะตl ะ ulัะต, ะ lั ะฐnd Rะพbbัะต ะฐnd ะะพrgะฐn ะะตrัtะฐgะต โfะพr ะฐll thะต ัnัut thะตั mะฐdะต ัn rะตggะฐะต ัnduัtrั ะฐnd thะต muััั.โ
โIโve learned a lot from them and from other older people in the industry and thatโs why Iโm here; thatโs what brought us all here,โ she said.
โSo I just want to say that this one (holding up award) is for all of us; this one is for reggae, this one is for Jamaica. Thank you very much and blessings,โ she added.
The 19-year-old recording artiste ousted โAs I Amโ by Julian Marley, โThe Final Battle: Sly & Robbie vs Roots RadicsMass Manipulationโ by Steel Pulse, and โMore Work To Be Doneโ by Third World in securing the coveted award.
โRaptureโ spent an impressive 32 weeks on Billboardโs Reggae albums chart after debuting at number one.
The EPโs lead single โToastโ was arguably the biggest reggae single of 2019, receiving worldwide airplay and being featured by many international celebrities, including former US president Barack Obama.
The track was also featured in the Jordan Peele film โUsโ.ย In January Michelle Obama has included โToastโ on her 2020 workout playlist.
Koffee was born in 2000 and raised by her single mother in Spanish Town, just outskirt of Kingston. She sang in a church choir as a child and taught herself how to play guitar at the age of 12. In 2017, Koffee gained the attention of the public by posting a video of her performance of โLegend,โ her original tribute to Jamaica Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt, via social media.
In 2018, she was called on stage to perform with Cocoa Tea at the Rebel Salute Festival in Kingston, a performance that was followed by invitations from Jamaican artists Protoje and Chronixx to join them in live performances and on tour in Europe.
The following year, Koffee signed on with Columbia Records UK Columbia U.K. and released the singles โToastโ and โRagamuffin,โ which also appeared on her debut EP, Rapture, in 2019.
In the next few days, Koffee will perform at the Viewtopia Music Festival, during Superbowl weekend, from January 31 to February 1 at Marlins Park, Miami. In April, she will perform at Coachella for the first time.
