Koffee, Toots toast of Obama
Grammy-nominated singjay, Koffee has again come up on Barack Obama’s radar.
On Monday, the 44th President of the United States shared his top 35 songs of 2019, which saw Toast at number 11.
“From hip-hop to country, to The Boss; here are my songs of the year. If you’re looking for something to keep you company on a long drive or help you turn up a workout, I hope there’s a track or two in here that does the trick,” he captioned the post for his 25.5 million followers to see.
On August 24, Obama posted his summer playlist, which showed Toast at number 28 and Toots and the Maytals’ classic 54-46 holding the 37th slot.
Nineteen-year-old Koffee, whose given name is Mikayla Simpson, released Toast in November 2018. The track, produced by Izybeats and Walshy Fire of Major Lazer, has gotten her much attention; accumulating over 93 million views on YouTube. It also formed part of her Grammy-nominated EP, Rapture, which was released in March.
Koffee is the youngest Jamaican to ever be nominated in the Best Reggae Album category. This nomination puts her in great company with other reggae greats like Steel Pulse, Julian Marley, Third World, and Sly & Robbie & Roots Radics. The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards will take place on January 26, 2020, in Los Angeles
Toast has won the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association Award for Song of the Year and was featured in Jordan Peele’s hit film Us. The entertainer performed the track on the late night television talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live which aired on the American network ABC on July 17.
Koffee also snatched three International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA) — Best Female Vocalist; Best Teen Entertainer; and Best New Entertainer.