Rema, whose real name is Divine Ikubor, has achieved a historic milestone with his song “Calm Down.”
This Nigerian singer’s collaboration with Selena Gomez has become the first track by an African artist to join Spotify‘s exclusive “Billions Club,” amassing over 1 billion streams on the platform.
In addition, Rema has also solidified his position as one of the top 10 most-streamed Afrobeats artists on Spotify.
In 2022 alone, Afrobeats, featuring talents like Burna Boy and Ayra Starr, garnered an impressive 13 billion streams on the platform.
Rema’s journey to this achievement began when he released “Calm Down” on February 11, 2022, as part of his debut studio album, “Raves and Roses.”
The song soared through European charts, claiming the number-one spot on the Belgian Ultratop 50, Dutch Top 40, and Dutch Single Top 100.
In the United Kingdom, it reached a peak position of number three and maintained a presence in the top ten of the UK Singles Chart for twenty-seven non-consecutive weeks.
Adding to the song’s success, Rema collaborated with American singer Selena Gomez to create a remix of “Calm Down,” which was released on August 25, 2022.
This remix achieved remarkable chart success, securing the top position on both the Billboard US Afrobeats Songs and the Billboard Global Excl. US charts. It also climbed to the third spot on the Global 200 chart.
In the United States, the remix peaked at number three on the prestigious Billboard Hot 100, marking Rema’s debut in the top-ten category and Gomez’s ninth entry.
Notably, the remix maintained its dominance on the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for an astounding 45 consecutive weeks.
Within the United States, it also claimed the number one position on charts like Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay, and Radio Songs, spanning across all genres.
This achievement marked Rema’s first-ever number-one hit on each of these charts and Gomez’s first number-one on the latter two charts.
Moreover, the remix ascended to the top spot on the Canadian Hot 100 chart as of May 13, 2023.
Rema expressed his gratitude, saying, “It’s a blessing. It’s not just a big win for me, my team, and my family; it’s also a big one for the culture. I feel really happy, and I’m proud of the fans as well for going back to the song and putting people onto the song. Shout-out to the DJs and everyone who made this possible.”
Spotify’s Artist and Label Partnerships Manager for West Africa,
Victor Okpala praised this milestone, stating, “This milestone is remarkable for Rema, marking a pivotal moment for this talented artist and the entire Afrobeats community. It’s clear that the genre is making a significant impact and gaining substantial influence on the global music stage, and we are excited to continue supporting it at Spotify.”
In a recent triumph, Rema clinched the inaugural Best Afrobeats award at the 2023 MTV VMAs, surpassing industry heavyweights like Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy.
This prestigious accolade was awarded at the ceremony held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, USA.
For those curious to experience the magic of “Calm Down” by Rema and Selena Gomez, the song is available for streaming on Spotify.
Recently, Spotify also introduced a dynamic playlist called “daylist” designed to adapt to users’ changing moods and activities throughout the day.
This personalized playlist not only considers your usual music preferences but also takes into account the specific times and days you listen to music.
It curates tracks from niche genres and microgenres, constantly refreshing them as the day progresses.
Each update comes with a new playful title, such as “happy dance” or “bedroom pop banger,” making it a highly personalized way to discover music that suits your taste.
You can save the current playlist version, but Spotify won’t preserve previous iterations.
Currently, the daylist is available to both Free and Premium subscribers in select regions, including the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. You can access it on desktop or mobile via the Made for You hub.