Ferdinand Ekechukwu
Rema, whose real name is Divine Ikubor, has been enjoying massive reception from music lovers since he came into the limelight calling his sound “Afrorave”, a subgenre of Afrobeats with influences of Arabian and Indian music which has led to him having one of the strongest fan-bases in the country known as Ravers. ‘Calm Down’, a hit track by Rema, made history as the highest-charting Afrobeats song on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song also extended its stay on the chart. The feat comes about a week after the song became the second-longest charting no 1 African song in India. ‘Calm Down’ released in February 2022 as a single off ‘Rave and Roses’, Rema’s highly anticipated debut album released on March 25, 2022. The singer later partnered with Selena Gomez, the US songstress, for the remix of the hit track.
‘Calm Down’ went platinum in the UK on March 3. With over 437 million views — as of April 18 — the visuals of the song became the most-viewed Nigerian music video on YouTube. The album would go on to achieve impressive streaming numbers with the assistance of his hit singles ‘Calm Down’ and ‘Soundgasm’. After over a year of his debut album, Rema is back with the deluxe version he calls ‘Calm Down’ Ultra.
The release of ‘Rave & Roses Ultra, a deluxe version of his 2022 album, ‘Rave & Roses’ on April 28 has officially made it the most streamed Afrobeats album on Spotify. The 22-track album features collaborations with 6lack, Chris Brown, AJ Tracey, Yseult and Selena Gomez. The ultra-version sees the addition of six new tracks. The new songs include the chart-topping and record-breaking ‘Calm Down’ remix, ‘Reason You’ and ‘Holiday’ which he earlier released in 2023, and ‘Hov’, Dunno Freestyle’, and ‘Charm’.
The remix holds the record for being the highest-charting African song on Billboard Hot 100. The music video is the most watched Afrobeats music video on YouTube and it has earned multiple certifications including Diamond in France, Platinum in the US and the UK. Off the success of ‘Calm Down’ remix is his 02 Arena concert in November. The show will hold on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.
The singer recently announced the dates for his O2 Arena concert in London. He shared the news of the must-see show at the 20,000-seated capacity stage, which is London’s biggest entertainment destination, last Tuesday. It is his return to London after his sensational performance at the O2 Brixton sold out concert featuring Fireboy, Victony, and Dave.
