Nigerian music sensation Divine Ikubor, known professionally as Rema, has etched his name in the annals of music history with his chart-topping hit ‘Calm Down’.
The track has achieved a groundbreaking milestone by becoming the first African song to amass over 1 billion on-demand streams in the United States.
This remarkable feat was confirmed by the American Music Stats authority, Chart Data, which took to Twitter to announce that “REMA’s ‘Calm Down’ becomes the first Afrobeats song in history to earn over 1 billion on-demand streams in the US.”
The success of ‘Calm Down’ began snowballing when its remix featuring American singer Selena Gomez climbed the charts, ultimately becoming the first African song to surpass the billion-stream mark on Spotify last August.
Adding to its list of accolades, the original version of ‘Calm Down’ was recognized by Guinness World Records for its significant achievement as the inaugural number one song on the world’s first regional streaming chart for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Rema’s ‘Calm Down’ not only showcases the global appeal of Afrobeats but also signifies a pivotal moment for African music on the international stage.
