Producer Sean Alaric believes Koffee’s win in the Best Reggae Album category of the Grammy Awards is an inspiration for younger artistes. Alaric co-produced the song Throne, which is featured on the singjay’s groundbreaking EP, Rapture.

Rapture beat albums by Sly and Robbie and Roots Radics, Third World, Julian Marley and Steel Pulse for reggae music’s biggest award. Koffee is the first solo female artiste to win the Best Reggae Album award; at 19, she is also the youngest.

“Hopefully her win will open the world’s eyes to the younger artistes in our genre and inspire those artistes to keep making good music. Good music travels internationally and we have seen that with Koffee’s achievements, anything is possible,” said Alaric in an interview with the Jamaica Observer’s Splash yesterday.

His co-producers on Throne are Echo Slim and Nicko Rebel. Alaric explained how he got involved with the project.

“I linked up with local producers Echo Slim and Nicko Rebel to collaborate on a production, which was later sent to Walshy Fire. Walshy is a huge name in reggae and dancehall music in South Florida. He was also executive producing Koffee’s album and he recorded Koffee on the production,” he said.

Although surprised that Koffee won the Grammy, he felt she had a good shot based on her success of the past year.

“I was surprised that she won because the Grammys can be unpredictable. But based off the momentum and success that Koffee had this past year, I was certain she had a great opportunity to win,” he said.

Rapture also features the track Toast, which entered the British pop and US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. It was certified silver last December for sales of 200,000 in the United Kingdom.

Alaric, who was born in Pembroke Pines, Florida, to Jamaican parents, is part of a growing South Florida music fraternity who have made that region dancehall/regaae central. Grammy-winning band Inner Circle are the old heads, while producers Supa Dups, Walshy Fire, IzyBeats and Jon FX represent the new order.

Alaric says he has been musically-inclined since childhood.

“When I was 12 years old, I started playing music as a DJ and I developed a love for classic dancehall and reggae productions. After I graduated from high school, I started creating remixes for my mixtapes and I began producing custom beats for my remixes, which eventually led to producing my own rhythms,” he recalled. “My first production was a rhythm called Intercept and it was released in 2008. It featured Aidonia, Einstein, Bramma, and Matik. Since the release of that project, I have continued to work on my craft and my sound.”

Some of his other projects include singer Toian’s EP Retrospect; the Melanin EP and Dopamine album for deejay Khxos, as well as singles by Denyque, Chevaughn, Meyekal, Coree, Kim Gebriel, Jesse Royal, Kemar Highcon, Protoje, and Chevaughn.

Alaric studied music business at Miami Dade College and worked at Inner Circle’s Circle House studios for three years as in-house videographer. He credits his stint there for his move into production.

“It was a great experience working at Circle House Studios. Circle House is a renowned studio here in Miami. I had the opportunity to meet and work with some of the top local artistes from Miami, as well as international artistes who visited the studio regularly. It gave me the opportunity to learn how some of the top artistes record and create music,” he said.