“1 year ago I dropped Rave & Roses, the biggest African debut Album of all time.” Rema
Rema on May 2021 announced he would be calling his sound “Afrorave”, a subgenre of Afrobeats with influences of Arabian and Indian music, saying “my album seals this claim for good”. In an interview, Rema discussed the importance of the album to him saying “breath of fresh air for him as an artist.
1 year ago I dropped Rave & Roses, the biggest African debut Album of all time. Continue to cherish this project for it represents one of the pillars of our Rave culture, thank you for your undying love & support.
Rema tweeted earlier on Twitter
Rema’s debut album is considered one of the biggest albums ever produced from Nigeria and Africa at large, his album features artists such as AJ Tracey, Yseult, 6lack and others, with smashing hits such as Soundgasm, Calm Down, Are You There, and more.
Rema
Since its release, it has earned platinum certification in Switzerland and gold in France, going ahead as the first African debut album to spend 8months in Billboard World Albums Charts.
It is also one of the most streamed albums amassing over 1.5 billion streams across all digital streaming platforms.
“Trying to hold in the tears, I know how hard I worked to get my sound here, I’m grateful to God for how far I’ve come,” Rema (real name Divine Ikubor) wrote in an Instagram post containing a photo of himself and a photo of the March 25-dated Hot 100 chart’s top 10. “Love to the ones who believed, love to the Queen @selenagomez.”
Rema
“Calm Down” was originally released on February 11, 2022 via Jonzing World, Mavin, SMG Music, Virgin and Interscope. It was the second single from Rema’s debut studio album Rave & Roses, which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard‘s World Albums chart. The Gomez-assisted remix arrived on August 25, 2022 and went on to top Global Excl. U.S. as well as U.S. Afrobeats Songs, where it’s currently spending a 29th week at No. 1, marking the longest run at the top of the chart since Billboard and Afro Nation launched it in March 2022.
“I don’t really do remixes — most of my songs are solo or features. I wanted a female voice on the song. The song was already blowing up, so I felt like we needed someone that could take it up to the next level. From our discussions, planning, and available contacts and friendship, Selena was the best bet,” the Afrorave artist said in a recent interview with Billboard.
“Every day I wake up to good news. Not just good news about how well my career is going; it’s about how well my culture is flying. Afrobeats is going to the next level. This song is opening doors and bridges. Listeners want to know what more is coming from Nigeria, what more is coming from Africa. I’m so happy.”
Nigerian Afro-pop star Rema has announced his debut album, Rave & Roses, due March 25 (pre-order). Along with the announcement comes the breezy new single, “Calm Down,” which was produced by Andre Vibez and London. Rema said.
Calm Down” is about the events that led me to finding love at the time. It started at a party where I saw a girl who stood out from other girls so I felt like shooting my shot. We spoke and danced… but her friends didn’t let me get any closer which killed the vibe, but afterwards when they weren’t there, we stayed in touch and hit it off
