BACKAYARD congratulates Koffee on her landmark victory

The Backayard team is especially happy to congratulate Koffee as she became the first female winner of the Reggae Grammy in addition to being one of the youngest to receive this honour. Being the people we are the team decided to try and to share our own personal views on what this accolade now means for the starlet and the Jamaican music in general.

“Koffee has created a seismic shift in in the industry, creating inclusive spaces for fresh narratives to evolve in the genre and doing away with the familiar tropes associated with women in the reggae space. The highlight of 2017 was being introduced to Koffee by Jik-Reuben at the now defunct Wickie Wackie Fest. To watch her perform to a handful of patrons on the beach at Bull Bay on December 16th and less than a year later, see her perform with ease on stage at Alexandra Palace in London on November 11, 2018 singing to a crowd of 5,000 was nothing short of phenomenal. Koffee might be small in stature but she is mighty in her accomplishments to date. For me, she is the David among the Goliath’s in the genre and her Grammy win is a clarion call to every young artiste to have the courage to launch their careers with same faith and tenacity as she has. Congratulations to Koffee, her talented team, collaborators and especially her Mother – the ever present pillar of support – Miss Jo-Anne” – lizzy brown

“I recall seeing her live at Wickie Wackie Live, I knew she was going to be someone to make note of. I had to have her featured in the magazine (Backayard) before she blew up. In person she’s so humble and centred but on stage she packs a big punch as if she was a seasoned performer. That, Wickie Wackie Live, was December 2017 and now here she is in January 2020 – an icon and symbol for the younger generation of eclectic Jamaican acts. Congrats Koffee and her team on winning this year’s Grammy for Best Reggae Album.” #Wseason – Words by Jik Reuben

Who knew anything special could come out of Spanish Town? Well, the Spanish colonizers did as Spanish Town was made the first capital of Jamaica and from since then, Spanish Town has been having a rough time. Crime and violence are features that accentuate the first capital and the only defence against such characteristics is “ Spanish Town nuh as bad as dem mek it seems”. That line offers no form of comfort to many who fear such a remarkable but troubled city.
However, out of ashes of despair, a musical phoenix has risen as Koffee spreads her wings and glides over the entire world as her powerful vocal and lyrical relevancy makes her a superstar of and for this generation. Winning her first Grammy with her first project can be related to the idiom “first come first serve” as Koffee has been first with music that relates so much to a generation that has experienced and showcased things to the world for the first time. We must all wake up and listen to the Koffee as she will continue to serve a menu filled with musical feats – She might not be everyone’s cup of tea but she will definitely be Spanish Town, Jamaica cup of Koffee. Selah. – Hakeem ‘Uncle’ Bryan

To be fair, I can’t say I was always a huge fan of her work, nor that I foresaw any of the stardom, and success, that eventually came her way. However, once you see how other acts react to Koffee and her energy you would be hard pressed not to try to see what the fuss is all about. Koffee, has that sound that while certainly can be playful at times has the ability to delve into deeper topics and elicit deeper meanings. Being signed to a major label has negatively affected many a career however thus far this young miss hailing from Spanish Town has and continue to take it in stride as she racks up ‘trophy’ after ‘trophy’ as she strives to be the next Jamaican global icon. Koffee’s EP ‘Rapture’ gave us, in my mind, just a taste of what we should expect from her for years to come. So fulljoy your victory, Koffee; this has changed the trajectory of Jamaican music forever. – Amilcar Lewis