Koffee

Mikayla Simpson was born on February 16, 2000, and raised by a single mother in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, Jamaica. She sang in her church choir as a child and taught herself to play guitar at age 12, drawing early inspiration from fellow Jamaican artists Protoje and Chronixx. She won her high school's talent competition in 2016 and took the stage name Koffee as she started sharing homemade recordings online.

Her breakout moment came in 2017 with an acoustic tribute to Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt titled "Legend," which spread quickly on Instagram. She followed with singles including "Toast," which topped Billboard's Reggae Digital Song Sales chart. In March 2019, at just 19, she released her debut EP "Rapture," which debuted at Number 1 on Billboard's Reggae Albums chart.

At the 62nd Grammy Awards, held January 26, 2020, Koffee won Best Reggae Album for "Rapture," making her both the youngest person and the first woman to win in that category. She went on to guest on tracks with J Hus and John Legend, performed at Coachella, and in March 2022 released her debut full-length album "Gifted," produced with collaborators including JAE5 and Frank Dukes, which earned her a second Grammy nomination.

Koffee's Grammy win is widely credited with reopening international mainstream interest in reggae, and with proving that a young Jamaican woman writing melodic, socially conscious, guitar-driven songs could break through commercially without abandoning her roots. She is frequently cited alongside Protoje, Lila Iké, Chronixx and Jesse Royal as part of the "Reggae Revival" generation, and her success is credited with helping open doors for other young women in reggae and dancehall.