Grammy Award-winning reggae and dancehall powerhouse Koffee has made a commanding return with her fierce new single, aptly titled “Koffee.” This marks her first solo release since 2022 and her first offering since featuring on Sam Smith’s “Gimme” alongside Jessie Reyez, signaling a powerful new era for the Jamaican star.
“Somebody please remind these niggas, this is my industry,” Koffee declares with undeniable authority in the opening lines of the track. This bold statement sets the tone for a redeclaration of her identity and influence. “Koffee with a K, some call me Mikayla,” she notes, referencing her birth name, Mikayla Victoria Simpson, and firmly asserting her presence.
The single is accompanied by a striking music video directed by Joshua Valle, known for his work with Asake (“Active”) and Lil Baby (“Heyy”). Providing the sonic canvas for Koffee’s powerful delivery is the acclaimed producer GuiltyBeatz, the mastermind behind Beyoncé’s “Move” and Tems’ “Love Me Jeje.” He crafts a minimalist yet potent backdrop of simple percussion, a groovy bassline, and rich horns, allowing Koffee’s vocal prowess to shine.
While Koffee has always been celebrated for her skilled sing-jay style, reminiscent of dancehall’s finest deejays and hip-hop’s most dynamic rappers, “Koffee” showcases a newfound bite and unwavering confidence. She unequivocally proclaims herself “the baddest thing out of Jamaica” and hints at shedding any former humility, stating, “Weh a mash up dem head, I’m tryna be a better me/Not the way you remember me/I left that in the cemetery/That side of me is dead/ I said what I said.”
Koffee made history in 2020 as the youngest person and first woman to win the Grammy for Best Reggae Album for her debut EP, “Rapture,” which featured the global smash hit “Toast.” She followed this success with her critically acclaimed full-length album, “Gifted,” in 2022. Rolling Stone lauded the album in a four-star review as “a portrait of a brilliant young artist keenly aware of the miracles that lift her up” and later named it one of the best albums of the year.
With “Koffee,” the reigning queen of reggae and dancehall is back, bolder and more assertive than ever, ready to reclaim her industry and set the stage for what promises to be an exciting new chapter.
