DUBAI: Jamaican artist Koffee has said she would love to perform in the UAE again after being mesmerized by Dubai.
The 19-year-old singer, who has been making waves with her reggae sounds internationally, belted out her top hits during the city’s annual urban festival, Sole DXB, and during her stay toured iconic landmarks including the Burj Khalifa skyscraper and Dubai mall.
Asked if she would return to the UAE for another performance, Koffee said: “Oh yeah! I would come back here to live, what do you mean!
“I’m happy that I got to spend a few days and see the place and enjoy the scenery a bit before the show. I don’t get to do that often, so this was special for me,” she told Arab News.
The rising young star, whose real name is Mikayla Simpson, prefers to be known by her stage name gained from high-school friends after drinking coffee on a hot summer’s day.
She brought her reggae melodies to Dubai for the first time to link in with Sole DXB’s Jamaican theme.
“Jamaican culture is very strong, very unique. It is a unified culture in terms of we all kind of like to get along. It is a very down-to-earth and irie (Jamaican term for all is good and at peace) culture,” she added.
Koffee, who was performing at the festival alongside her idol Protoje, had also been looking forward to being the opening act for one of her favorite artist’s Burna Boy, until the Nigerian singer cancelled his performance on the day.
However, Burna Boy’s cancellation gave Koffee, who described herself as a “sing-jay-guitarist,” to be the headline act on Friday. Hundreds of concertgoers sang along to her top hits “Toast,” “Rapture” and latest single “W.”
Koffee set the crowd ablaze when she returned to the stage for a final performance with her cover of Burna Boy’s hit “Ye.”
The teenager shot to fame after Jamaican Olympic athlete Usain Bolt shared her YouTube recording of a tribute to him called “Legend,” in 2017.
Since then she has been described as an artist who has modernized reggae. “I bring a newness to the genre … a new reggae awakening.”
Koffee, who said her music was inspired by her experiences, added that she felt “proud” to bring the genre to a new generation.
“Reggae is a very positive genre, it is surrounded by positive words, lyrics, people and it is known for that. I’m proud to use my talent to bring positive attention toward my country, that’s definitely good for me.”
