Koffee's completely taking over the nation with 'The Gifted' tour
Let’s face it, concerts and festivals are in full effect. While we’re waiting for consistent weather in the Northeast these days, there’s no stopping the excitement for Koffee to dominate the nation with her Gifted tour.
Koffee’s full-fledged national tour is happening
Forget waiting until summertime, Koffee officially kicked off the tour this past Monday in Seattle, Washington. The plan is for the journey to continue through late May.
Following the release of her hugely anticipated debut album Gifted via Sony Music UK/RCA Records last month, Koffee is taking her electrifying live show to stages across the nation in The Gifted Tour as well as her debut appearance at Coachella beginning this weekend. Produced by Live Nation and Duke Concept, Koffee’s tour launched earlier this week in Seattle and will see shows in San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York City featuring support on select dates from Ayra Starr and Buju. The tour marks an exciting return to the stage for the artist whom Billboard deemed "the most exciting reggae crossover artist in years."
Koffee has also partnered with Global Citizen across the dates to offer a rewards program for fans that take action in fighting poverty, climate change & demanding equity who will have a chance to enter andwin tickets for select dates.
Packed with anthems from start through finish
It’s not just a couple standout singles. Koffee’s new studio album is stacked with bangers including songs like ‘Lockdown’ and ‘West Indies.’
Released to high acclaim and featuring the crossover anthems “West Indies”, “Lockdown” and the JAE5-produced “Pull Up”, Gifted cements 21-year-old Koffee’s position as the artist who has reshaped, modernized and revitalized reggae, bringing it to a whole new audience. It’s a stunning showcase of hervocal, production and songwriting talents with Koffee producing half of the album in addition to tracks with globally renowned producers JAE5 and Frank Dukes and fellow Jamaican breakout star iotosh.
Having garnered global attention with her 2019 anthem "Toast" and subsequent EP Rapture, in the short time she’s been making music Koffee has become a pillar of the global music community, radiating her message of hope and positivity from her home in Spanish Town, Jamaica to audiences everywhere. Prioritizing authenticity, Gifted transcends its influences, creating an innovative and fresh body of work that is ready to push the genre forward.
If you don’t know, now you know… Koffee
With the buzz only getting bigger for Koffee, it’s no surprise her name is raising eyebrows with each passing hit. If you’re still getting familiar with her talent, kick back and check out the deets on what she’s been up to these days.
21-year-old Mikayla Simpson, the artist widely known as Koffee, never expected to become an artist. "There's a clip of me on live TV saying I want to become an astronaut,” she laughs, recalling early childhood ambitions. It’s a surprising statement to hear from an artist now a behemoth force in the reggae and dancehall genre, but indicative of her humble mindset. Music, deep down, was the artist’s gift, and as if by fate it wasn’t a career switch she’d make herself. “The switch met me,” she says.
2022 sees the release of her debut album Gifted, a milestone in a brief yet already illustrious career, and with it comes a determination to speak to the times. “I keep saying I try to be as honest as possible with the music. Because I think what I put out and create speaks to the moment, and I want it to,” she says. Koffee is on a mission to bring light and brevity to the stories of now; songs like “Lockdown” expertly articulate the hope many of us have felt during months of isolation (“Where will we go / When di quarantine ting done and everybody touch road, "she sings).
The upbeat, punchy rhythms of “Where I’m From” and classic reggae tones of “X10” are her way of scoring the scenes of life. As producer of half of the album’s ten tracks, Koffee crafted the album from bursts of inspiration in hotel rooms whilst on tour and freestyle sessions with her band. “I want it to be authentic; in the future with generations gone, people can listen to my music and think ‘Yeah, this speaks to the time, I feel like I can relate to what was happening.’ We keep to the moment because that's what art is, or what it should be.”
