Koffee Is First Female Jamaican Artist On UK Album Chart In 27 Years

Koffee‘s debut album Gifted has opened at No. 9 on the UK Official Albums Chart making her the first female Jamaican-born artist in the Top 10, and the first woman from the island on the chart in 27 years.

Diana King’s Tougher Than Love, which was released in April 1995, had spent three weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 50.   Sean Paul‘s Dutty Rock album had peaked at No. 2 in 2003, while his The Trinity peaked at No. 11 in 2005, followed by Imperial Blaze at No. 38 in 2009 and Tomahawk Technique at No. 34 in 2012.

Shaggy has had 7 albums on the UK Albums chart, including Hot Shot which peaked at No. 1 in 2001, and 44/876 with Sting, which peaked at No. 9 in 2018.

Koffee’s 10-track Gifted, which was released on March 25 via Promised Land Recordings/Columbia Records, is among five new projects in the Top 10 of the weekly chart which is compiled by the Official Charts Company, based on sales of CDs, downloads, vinyl, and weighted audio streams.

The only other Jamaican artists on the chart this week are Bob Marley & The Wailers with their Legend compilation at No. 30.  Legend has now spent 1,023 weeks on the UK Chart—the second-longest run in the history of the chart.

Michael Bubble’s Higher has debuted at No. 1, followed by Machine Gun Kelly’s new album Mainstream Sellout and Placebo’s Never Let Me Go at No. 3.  Ed Sheeran’s = album remains at No. 4 this week, after spending 22 weeks on the chart, while the Foo Fighters’ Greatest Hits album has jumped 71 places to No. 5 following the death of their drummer Taylor Hawkins.

Ardee’s Peer Pressure spends its second week on the chart at No. 6, followed by Matt Goss’ The Beautiful Unknown which debuts at No. 7.   Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour is at No. 8, while Fleetwood Mac’s 50 Years – Don’t Stop is at No. 10.

Koffee, 22, had previously impacted the UK Singles Chart with Toast, which peaked at No. 70 and had spent 17 weeks on the chart, W with Gunna, which peaked at No. 82 and spent 7 weeks on the chart, and J Hus’ Repeat, which peaked at No. 21 and spent 8 weeks on the chart.

Toast (which is certified Gold in the UK), Rapture and W (which are both certified Silver) were among the 18 tracks released on the deluxe edition of Gifted. 

Gifted featured Track 1 X10, which sampled Bob Marley’s classic Redemption Song, Defend, Shine, the title track Gifted, Lonely, Run Away, Where I’m From as well as the previously-released West Indies, Pull Up, and her 2020 hit single Lockdown.