Enfnts Terribles

Maxim Meyer-Horn

30 Jul 2019
Music

Koffee: “You Can Expect My First Album Early 2020”

Koffee is just 19 years old, but the Jamaican singer is changing the Reggae scene like no other female act did before. Major reggae artists like Chronixx or Protoje are already big fans of her and rumor has it that she’s writing for Rihanna’s long-awaited ninth studio album. The buzz around the talented rising star is already huge and her debut album is due to be released. We caught up with Koffee at DOUR festival.

Hi Koffee, how are you?

I’m really good. Thank you!

You just performed at DOUR festival. How was it?

It was amazing. The crowd was really lit and the vibe was extremely nice, so I felt really good on stage today.

You’re just 19 years old, but you’re already touring the world. Is that something you always dreamt of?

To be honest, just a couple years ago, I wanted to become a pharmacist. So it wasn’t exactly my dream, but since I’m doing all this, I think it was just a hidden dream because I never thought it would happen.

You’ve been writing songs since you were a little bit younger. Is it different to write music nowadays?

I would say yes, because now I try to meet my support halfway when I write. I don’t only want to express what I feel, but also want to express what different people and audiences/markets would like to hear. It’s me mixing those things with what is original in me and try to give it a nice touch so everybody can enjoy the music.

Reggae is a mainly man-fronted music scene. How is it for you as a young, female upcoming artist in this male-dominated scene?

I get a lot of support, especially from the men. It’s a good feeling, because I can see that they are pro and that there are many female artists coming. The men are really supportive of the female scene and that’s fantastic.

Chronixx and Protoje are two big names that adore you and are big fans. How do they support you?

They are really amazing. They let me know that I’m doing a good thing and that it’s impacting the right people. They remind me of where I need to be and that I need to stay focussed on the right things.

You’ve performed several times with them. Is it weird for you to perform with artists you’ve always looked up to?

Very surreal. They are singers that I listened to through my headphones. At first, that was my only connection to them. But having them stand right beside me, endorsing and supporting me and appreciating my music, which is essentially inspired by them, it’s the most beautiful feeling ever.

Last year, you released your debut EP Rapture. Did you expect the success it became?

It was a bit of a surprise, because I’m a kind of person that puts work out without any expectations. I just leave it to the environment or the universe and it brought me to the right place, so it’s more like a pleasant surprise.

The main stream media named you ‘One To Watch’ at the beginning of this year. Was it overwhelming for you as it brings a lot of expectations?

I look at it from a different perspective. I see it as a wonderful opportunity and also as a responsibility. It reminds me of where I need to be me in my journey and where we’re heading. To me, it isn’t so much a pressure to be afraid of but something to work towards and a push to keep up the pace so I use my platform right.

Social problems play a special part in the storytelling of your music. How important is it for you to tell these stories and encourage people?

Very, very important because I think a lot of people aren’t exposed to all the right things. I do listen to the message of a song, so even when I like the flow, I can dislike the content of the story that is told. I just want to take these flows that I like and tell a spiritual story that is more beneficial, where people can still enjoy the music but also learn something from it, that’s the best way to go. As a young person, the youth is very close to me and music is just my way of speaking to them.

In what way do you feel that people connect with your music?

That’s a difficult question, but what I do feel is that different people from different age groups connect to my music because of the different things that I’m able to do. For instance, “Raggamuffin” is one of my oldest tunes and is something older people like, but “Toast” is extremely loved by adults and kids or “Rapture” is really enjoyed by teenagers.

You’ve recently released an official remix for Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber’s collab “I Don’t Care”. How did that come together?

That’s totally thanks to Ed Sheeran. I’m signed to Columbia UK, so I was there doing some promotions and he actually reached out to Freddy. He’s the person who brought me to Columbia, and he asked if we could link up in the studio, so we did. It was a great pleasure meeting him and he gave me a slot of time where I could do something fun with it. Afterwards, I realized that Chronixx was also one of his features, so that was pretty amazing.

 

Are there other big artists you want to work with?

Yeah, most definitely. I have a few in mind, and I have a few that I already started working with. There’s a lot of pleasant surprises that will come soon…

Is there a little hint you can give us about what’s coming?

Let me give you a little hint! I’ll be working on something with Burna Boy, who’s one of my favorite artists and is one of the leading artists in Afrobeat. You can expect something from us very soon!

Are we also already talking about your debut album?

Absolutely! I’m currently working on it. It’s my first album, so I’m still busy putting things together, but I can guarantee that it will be ready by the end of the year. In early 2020, you can definitely expect a brand new album by Koffee.

We’ll put it in our calendars! Thanks a lot and conquer the world!

 

 

 

Photos by Gonca Akbaba for Enfnts Terribles

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