RCA Records artist Koffee is set to open for Ms. Lauryn Hill on the Australian leg of her ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ 25th Anniversary Tour. The tour celebrates Hill’s groundbreaking debut solo album and will feature Koffee alongside Hill in Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on October 3, 2023, and at the Qudos Bank Arena on October 5, 2023.
Koffee’s is the youngest person to win the Grammy awarder Best Reggae album with her debut EP “Rapture.” Her breakout hit “Toast”, the lead single from the Ep. was certified Platinum in the U.K. for selling 600,000 in February.
Her debut album Gifted was the most consumed new reggae album in the US last year according to data provided to WMV by Billboard sales trackers Luminate.
The album released March 25, has so far clocked 223,000 album equivalent units(with SEA, and with TEA).This includes pure album sales of 1,600 (equalling total on-demand streams (audio + video) of 340 million.)
The Colombia/RCA recording release debuted at number 2 on the Reggae Billboard chart on the week of April 5 with 3500 total units sold in the US in the first week according to Luminate. At the time the album did 700 in total album sales and 3,290,800 streams in one week. Koffee’s “Gifted” also debuted at number 9 on the UK top 100 albums chart.
The album landed at number 5 on the UK physical albums chart and that gave Koffee the distinction of being the first female Jamaican to make the UK albums chart top ten.
Hill was also signed to Colombia when she released “The Miseducation” in 1998. The 25 Anniversary tour spans 17 concerts across North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, with The Fugees joining Hill for North American stops. Hill expressed that her album was a love song to her life and influences, aiming to challenge preconceived notions about music.
The Fugees will also co-headline the tour with Lauryn Hill during all U.S. and Canadian performances. The group had previously announced a world tour in 2021 but only managed to play one concert in New York that September before canceling the rest of the dates.
Lauryn Hill’s “Miseducation” album, known for its innovative blend of R&B, hip-hop, and pop, left an indelible mark on the 1990s music landscape. The album was entered into the Library of Congress in 2015, becoming the first hip-hop album to win a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Additionally, it earned Hill ten Grammy nominations in a single year and made her the first woman to win five Grammys in one night. Despite this, she has only released one album since then, an “MTV Unplugged” concert recording from 2001, though she has maintained an active touring schedule.
Lauryn Hill shared her thoughts on “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” describing it as a tribute to various aspects of her life and inspirations.
Hill says, “‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ is and was a love song to my parents, my family, my people, my musical and cultural forebears, my teachers, my loves, my Creator. I wrote love songs and protest songs— (still love songs) about the subjects and interests that inspired and moved me. I was confident that what inspired me would resonate with an audience that had been led to believe that songs of that kind could only live in the past.”
She expressed her passion for music, people, and her desire to challenge stereotypes in the industry while promoting imagination, creativity, and love.
“I loved music, I loved people, I truly felt grateful to God for my life, and genuinely blessed to have a platform where I could share wisdom and perspective through music,” she continues. “I felt a charge to challenge the idea that certain kinds of expression and/or certain kinds of people didn’t belong in certain places. I loved showing what could work or happen provided there was imagination, creativity and LOVE leading the way.”
Citi is the official card sponsor for the tour, and Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets starting Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time until Thursday at 10 p.m. local time through the Citi Entertainment program. Public ticket sales for the tour will commence this Friday at 10 a.m. local time. Tickets can also be found on resale platforms like Stubhub, Vividseats, and Ticketmaster.
RCA artist Koffee’s breakout hit “Toast”, the lead single from her debut Ep. “Rapture” is now certified Platinum in the U.K.
The award was given by the British Photographic Industry for selling 600,000 units on Friday (February 10,2023).
The groovy singer became the first and youngest woman to win a Grammy for Best Reggae Album at the 2020 awards.
Her EP. Rapture, went number one on the Reggae iTunes chart.
Tour Dates:
- 9/8 – Minneapolis, MN @ Mystic Lake
- 9/23 – New York, NY @ Global Citizen Festival
- 10/1 – Gold Coast, AUS @ Promiseland Festival
- 10/3 – Melbourne, AUS @ Rod Laver Arena (with Koffee)
- 10/5 – Sydney, AUS @ Kudos Banks Arena (with Koffee)
- 10/7 – Auckland, NZ @ Eden Festival
- 10/17 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center (with Fugees)
- 10/19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays (with Fugees)
- 10/21 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena (with Fugees)
- 10/23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Arena (with Fugees)
- 10/26 – Toronto, ON – Scotia (with Fugees)
- 10/28 – Chicago, IL @ United Center (with Fugees)
- 10/30 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena (with Fugees)
- 11/2 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena (with Fugees)
- 11/5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum (with Fugees)
- 11/7 Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena (with Fugees)
- 11/9 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena (with Fugees)
