Koffee, the 19-year-old Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter, made history with her win at the 2020 staging of the Grammy Awards ceremony in the Best Reggae Album Grammy for her “Rapture” album. With this award, Koffee became the first woman to win in this category since 1985 and the youngest person in history to win the award as well. While Koffee’s victory in the reggae category was not part of the televised Grammy program, it has been called “one of the biggest revolutions” at the 2020 ceremony” in an article from Rolling Stone magazine.

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Now, the young reggae star is taking another step in her career by signing a contract with RCA in the United States/ With the RCA connection, Koffee’s music will be introduced to listeners beyond the traditional centers of reggae fandom such as Jamaica and the United Kingdom. John Fleckenstein, the co-president of RCA, noted the huge influence Jamaica has had on music around the world; he believes that Koffee’s success will not end in her home country, but will end on an international scale. He says his company wants to help expand her fan base.

Koffee’s Grammy win reflects a period of time in which young women are making headway in a music genre traditionally dominated by male artists. In addition to Koffee’s history-making win as the only female nominated for Best Reggae Album, she was the only woman listed on the Top 10 Reggae Album chart at the end of 2019. Along with her “Toast” single, which became a major 2019 hit, singles from other female performers such as Shenseea and HoodCelebrityy saw some success on the streaming and radio-play spaces. Often outpacing their male peers.

Koffee had originally signed with Columbia in the United Kingdom, but to begin a campaign in the US, she needed a US partner in the Sony label system. RCA expressed considerable enthusiasm about taking her on, according to Ferdy Unger-Hamilton, president of Columbia UK and since RCA entered the picture, efforts have focused on expanding Koffee’s core base of fans. Unger-Hamilton went on to say that Koffee’s Grammy win represents a validation of the impact she has had on her community in a short period time.

Source: Billboard, Rolling Stone, RCA,