Globacom-sponsored CNN International magazine programme, African Voices Changemakers, will this weekend feature Nigerian Afrobeats singer, songwriter and multiple award-winner, Rema.
Born in 2000, Divine Ikubor, known professionally as Rema, is from Edo State, Nigeria. His passion for music was discovered while performing in church and in his secondary school, Ighile Group of Schools, in Edo State, where he entertained his peers with songs.
Rema gained prominence through his postings on Instragram. A viral freestyle to D’Prince’s song “Gucci Gang” subsequently caught the star’s attention. D’Prince flew him to Lagos 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.
Rema’s international breakthrough came in 2022 with his single “Calm Down”, which culminated in 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.
‘Calm Down” moved up tremendously reaching number three on the prestigious Billboard Hot 100 chart, number one on Billboard Afrobeats Songs chart, where it held the top spot for a record- breaking 58 weeks.
His star status was crowned on November 7, 2022, when he received an award for achieving 1 billion streams worldwide during his London concert. He performed at the Ballon d’Or ceremony held at the Theatre du Châtelet in Paris, France on October 30, 2023.
African Voices Changemakers will be beamed on CNN on Saturday at 8.30 a.m., with repeats at noon the same day. More repeats come up on Sunday at 4.30 a.m., 7.00 p.m. and on Monday at 4.00 a.m.
