Rema’s “Calm Down” Becomes the first song by an African Artist to Join Spotify’s Billions Club

“Calm Down” by Nigerian singer Rema (real name – Divine Ikubor) has become the first song by African artist to join Spotify’s billions club. This means that the hit single featuring Selena Gomez, has racked up over 1 billion streams on Spotify. He is also one of the top 10 most-streamed Afrobeats artists on the platform. With over 13 billion streams on Spotify in 2022, Afrobeats remains one of the globe’s hottest sounds featuring stars like Burna Boy, Ayra Starr and others.

Rema released the single “Calm Down” in 11 February 2022 from his debut studio album, “Raves and Roses”. The song charted across Europe, reaching number one on the Belgian Ultratop 50, Dutch Top 40 and Dutch Single Top 100. In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number three and spent twenty-seven non-consecutive weeks in the top ten of the UK Singles Chart.

Rema did a remix of “Calm Down” with American singer Selena Gomez which was released on 25 August 2022. The remix version achieved remarkable chart success, securing the top spot on both the Billboard US Afrobeats Songs and the Billboard Global Excl. US charts. Additionally, it reached the third position on the Global 200 chart. In the United States, it peaked at number three on the prestigious Billboard Hot 100, signifying Rema’s debut in the top-ten category and Gomez’s ninth entry.

Impressively, it maintained its dominance on the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for an astounding 45 consecutive weeks. Within the U.S., it also claimed the number one position on the Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay, and Radio Songs charts across all genres. This achievement marked Rema’s inaugural number-one hit on each of these charts and marked Gomez’s first number one on the latter two charts. Furthermore, it ascended to the top spot on the Canadian Hot 100 chart as of May 13, 2023.

According to Rema, “It’s a blessing. It’s not just a big win for me, my team, and family; it’s also a big one for the culture. I feel really happy, and I’m really 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.”

“This milestone is absolutely 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,” said Victor Okpala, Spotify’s Artist and Label Partnerships Manager for West Africa.

Recently, Rema beats Wizkid, Davido, Burnaboy to win first-ever Best Afrobeats award at the 2023 MTV VMAs which took place on Tuesday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, USA.

Check out the song on Spotify.