Koffee Pays Homage To Her Mother On Debut Album

S. PinnockMarch 7, 2022

Grammy Award-winning and reggae sensation Koffee was performing ×10, the opening track of her debut album ‘Gifted’ on Saturday. During her performance, the artiste got emotional when she was singing the lyrics that spoke about her mother saying she would be proud of her no matter what she did.

Koffee sang about remaining grounded despite having more money and gave reverence to God for keeping and blessing her. As she was singing about her mother, the artist became tearful and stopped singing.

At that point, Jo-Anne Williams, Koffee’s mother, eyes met with her daughter’s and they exchanged compassionate stares. The singer then started over the song and later does an encore. The loving mother-daughter moment was caught by the audience of the private album listening party at Craighton Estate which was powered by Amazon Music.

When Williams spoke to The Gleaner, she said that she grew her daughter in church and she was still attending church. She added that Mikayla Simpson, better known as Koffee, is a “God-fearing girl” and it warms her heart to hear her daughter sing those words.

“It reminds me of the scripture in Proverbs: ‘trai n up a child in the way they should go…’ I feel good that I did my part in raising her the way that I knew how, as best as I could,” Williams said.

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Throughout the 10-track album, Koffee acknowledged her mother several times and Williams said she loved all the songs with ×10 being her favourite. In the interview, Williams went on to say that she was “blessed” to be Mikayla’s mother and Mikayla showing her humility demonstrated that she didn’t forget where she came from, which Williams pointed out has been “a journey” for them both.

Koffee was also interviewed by The Gleaner and she explained why she paid homage to her mother on Gifted. In her statement, she noted that her mother was a single parent who taught her everything she knew. Her qualities, her strength, and the things that keep her grounded were carved out from what she learnt from her mom, hence it was important to give her mother the highlight she deserved to show her mother the impact she had on her life.

The album Gifted displays the unique talent the 22-year-old has and the growth she has made from Rapture which won the 2020 Grammy award for Best Reggae album. On this ‘Gifted’ project, the artiste worked with producers such as Dane Ray, Iotosh, Jae5 and Nathaneal ‘Nvtzz’ Brown.

Koffee also stated that Gifted is aligned with songs that she loves to sing and perform. She explained that with Rapture, she questioned herself if she was feeling some of the songs and if the listeners were also feeling the music. She said she ensured this album was more relatable.

Gifted also includes a song titled Lonely that exposes different parts of the young artiste as it spoke about the nuances of love and relationships. Additionally, the album spoke to youths about defying criminal activity and unlocking their full potential. She added that including this topic was a part of her purpose of being a voice for youth.

The album carved out her journey of where she’s coming from, which is evident in the album title and tracks ‘Where I’m From’ and pre-releases ‘Pull Up’, ‘West Indies’ and ‘Lockdown’.

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Following the album’s release on March 25 by Sony Music UK and RCA Records, there will be a tour in April in the United States.