Afrobeats singer, songwriter and award-winner, Divine Ikubor, aka Rema, has graced the studios of CNN International this week on its magazine programme— African Voices Changemakers— sponsored by telecommunications company, Globacom.
Rema gained recognition after posting a viral freestyle on Instagram to D’Prince’s song ‘Gucci Gang’. Wowed by his rare talent, D’Prince flew him to Lagos from Benin (Edo State) and offered him a record deal with Jonzing World, a subsidiary of Mavin Records owned by music executive and producer, Don Jazzy. His 2019 hit, ‘Dumebi’, was the first fruit of the contract.
The singer’s international breakthrough came in 2022 with his single titled, ‘Calm Down’, which led to a remix with American singer, Selena Gomez.
The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and first on Billboard Afrobeats Songs chart for a record-setting 58 weeks.
Rema’s musical feats have earned him several awards including the MTV Video Music Award for Best Afrobeats Video and the Billboard Music Award for Top Afrobeats Songs.
On November 7, 2022, he was given an award for achieving one billion streams worldwide during his London concert, and he also performed at the Ballon d’Or ceremony held at the Theatre du Châtelet in Paris, France on October 30, 2023.
