[3] As a teenager living in San Diego, Coffman worked at a grocery store as a day job and was a guitarist in an instrumental math rock band called Sleeping People.

[3][4] Coffman moved to New York[4] at 22 and joined Dirty Projectors on guitar and vocals,[3] beginning with the band's 2006 tour for Rise Above.

Dee Lockett, in New York Magazine, said Coffman's "soft, silky voice stood out on the band’s biggest songs, like 'Stillness Is the Move'" from Bitte Orca.

Coffman’s melismatic lead on "Stillness Is The Move" was a breakout moment for the Brooklyn band, and in harmony with Angel Deradoorian and Haley Dekle, she formed a vocal powerhouse that could either provide a radio-friendly counterpoint to David Longstreth's Arthur Russell-esque bleats or urge songs like "Useful Chamber" and "Gun Has No Trigger" deeper into alien territory.

[13] She also collaborated with rapper Riff Raff on a song called "Cool It Down" on his Neon Icon album.