Audio By Carbonatix
Rema’s Calm Down cannot stop making music history - the latest accolade for the hit by the 24-year-old Nigerian star is that it is now the most-streamed Afrobeats song in the US.
It has become “the first Afrobeats song in history to earn over one billion on-demand streams in the US”, the music monitoring platform Chart Data has said on X.
Last year, Chart Data had already described the track as the “most successful African song of all time”.
Billboard magazine music analysts put its success down to its “melancholy slow jam with a subtle hypnotic draw”.
“[It’s] the kind that gets stuck deep in the back of a listener’s mind, prompting them to return again and again.”
The song was released in February 2022 as a single off Rave and Roses, Rema’s debut album.
Rema, whose real name is Divine Ikubor, partnered with the US singer Selena Gomez a few months later for a remix of the song, which hit the billion-plays mark on the streaming app Spotify.
It became the first African song to spend a year on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number three, making it the highest-charting song which an Afrobeats musician was the lead artist.
The remix, which has nearly 894 million views on YouTube, is currently the most-watched music video by a Nigerian artist.
It has thrust Rema into the ranks of prominent Nigerian Afrobeats artists such as Burna Boy, Wizkid and Davido.
Rema says he has his own style of Afrobeats, which he has dubbed "Afrorave".
Latest Stories
-
More than 50 children kidnapped as gunmen storm northeastern Nigeria schools, residents say
52 minutes -
Ecobank Ghana PLC statement on recent court ruling
58 minutes -
Apostle Dr Nyamekye urges Zoomlion Kenya workers to prioritise competence, integrity
1 hour -
Choose leaders based on competence, not ethnicity — Afoko to NPP
1 hour -
90 Upper West police officers complete community policing training in Wa
1 hour -
Nadowli-Kaleo commissions new school and health facilities amid concerns over poor community conditions
1 hour -
Afrotoons holds pre-launch celebration in Ghana, signaling a new era for African Children’s storytelling
2 hours -
Business without integrity is danger, leadership without humility is arrogance – Asantehene
2 hours -
Don’t admire wealth without asking how it was made – Asantehene advises youth
2 hours -
Xabi Alonso agrees 4-year contract to become Chelsea head coach
3 hours -
Ras Opoku plans ‘Smile Festival’ in Ghana
3 hours -
Civil Service Council commends Interior Ministry for punctuality, dedication
3 hours -
Wontumi’s Campaign condemns Presidential Staffer’s remarks over comments on ongoing court case
3 hours -
Nhyira FM excites audience in Kumasi with massive 2026 Fufu Party
3 hours -
Ghana Exits IMF
3 hours