Nigerian Afrobeats singer, songwriter and multiple award-winner, Rema, graces the studios of CNN International this week on its magazine programme, African Voices Changemakers sponsored by technology company, Globacom.
Real name Divine Ikubor, the 24-year old Edo-born star discovered his passion for music by performing in church and in his secondary school, Ighile Group of Schools in Edo State, where he sang and rapped to entertain his peers.
He 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 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 precipitated 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 1 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.
The engaging edition will be broadcast 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.
