Every Day Begins with Koffee

In Jamaica it’s very hot. So, when I was about 12 years old, in September, which is really hot still, it was lunchtime [at school]. All my classmates and other students were having water, soda, juice, and I had a hot cup of coffee. At home I wasn’t allowed to drink coffee because of my religion. So, when I went to school I was like, “This is the time.” It was on the menu so I tried it. And then one of my classmates decided that she was gonna call me Koffee, and it stuck.

I grew up going to church every week. My denomination—the Seventh Day Adventist Church—is a very musical denomination. We would sing together as a church and we studied music. That allowed me to fall in love with music at a very early age.

Spanish Town is a small-town vibe. It’s quiet for the most part. Most people know everybody. It’s a very simple, laid back kind of life.

From what I’ve seen and experienced, everyone is pretty proud. I think me doing positive music and being a positive character in the industry has a lot to do with that. I think old people look up to that. Young people look up to that.

Whether I’m listening to a track or I’m feeling an instrument or I’m just vibing on my own, it has to feel natural for me. I have to tune into myself and ride this wave that allows me to express things that are true to myself.

I had the least confidence in it out of all the songs on my EP. I started out doing reggae, reggae, reggae music. My first single was “Burning,” which was almost like a roots reggae kind of track. I remember expressing to my peoples that, “This is a nice song for me, but I want to hold the Caribbean and Jamaicans who take it,” because sometimes they will say that you crossover and then you sell out, and you start off on this and then you jump on the next wave, you know?

I went to high school in Kingston. It was a big transition for me. The students I was mixing with [were from] different backgrounds and I got distracted. When I started high school, I wasn’t doing my work. I was skipping out. In ninth grade, I was like, “Yo, I have to do better than this.” I started listening to some really positive music like Sizzla, Protoje, Chronixx, Lila Iké, Leno Banton, and Runkus. I think it set me apart mentally. I was inspired by Protoje to start playing songs on my guitar. I would practice his songs and then, based on the track, I would try to write lyrics around it for myself.

To be honest, I do consider myself to be a fairly mature and conscious person. My mom wasn’t happy about what was happening. Obviously, my teachers weren’t happy. It wasn’t a good look.

I try to stick to my roots. For me, that means relying on the things that I grew up on. Spirituality is one of those things. I used to go to church, but not as often anymore. So, now I try to read my bible. I grew up with my mom, so I try to stay connected with her. And just reaching out to my family, trying to not get caught up in stuff that takes me away from my roots.

Well, not reggae because reggae’s based on positivity. I love dancehall as well. If dancehall says “buss gun,” me nah gon necessarily buss a gun, but you have younger people who are more impressionable who really idolize this kind of music. I think the world would be a boring place if it was all about positivity, to be honest. Like me nah gon say it shouldn’t be. I try to be realistic. I think you have to have a good mix and different kinds of entertainment that different kinds of people can gravitate towards, because there’s different people in the world. I think what is good is a balance where it can put a bit more positivity in it. So, not to exclude what you’re used to or what you enjoy putting in your music, but just drop a couple of positive tunes more time and try to unite the people.

I’m not a very political person when it comes to that.

Well, I really hope to soon. 2020 looking bright and stuff. Everybody’s positive, all optimistic.

I’m working on my first album. It’s going how I want it to go—slowly but surely.