LOS ANGELES – Gratitude really is a must for 19-year-old Mikayla Simpson, also known as Koffee.
The rising reggae star snagged the Grammy award for “Best Reggae Album” for her “Rapture” EP at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles this afternoon.
Koffee has now created history by becoming the youngest reggae act and also the fourth solo-female artist to win the Grammy for “Best Reggae Album”.
Rapture spent an impressive 32 weeks on Billboard’s Reggae albums chart after debuting at number one. The EP’s lead single “Toast” 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 young Spanish Town native was nominated among Julian Marley with “As I Am”, Sly & Robbie & Roots Radics with “The Final Battle” and “More Work To Be Done” by Third World, which was produced by Damian Marley.
During her speech, Koffee thanked the other nominated reggae acts, whom she said she had “learnt a lot from”. At the end of her speech, she said, “This one is for Reggae. This one is for Jamaica.”
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.
