Nigeria’s Afrobeat music star and multiple award-winner, Rema, will be featured this week on African Voices Changemakers, CNN International’s magazine programme, sponsored by telecommunications company, Globacom.
Born Divine Ikubor, the 24-year-old artiste from Edo State, discovered his passion for music as a church chorister and a rapper who entertained his peers in his secondary school, Ighile Group of Schools in Edo State.
Rema came into limelight 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.
His international breakthrough happened in 2022 with his single “Calm Down”, which led to 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.
His talents have earned him several awards including the MTV Video Music Award for Best Afrobeats Video and the Billboard Music Award for Top Afrobeats Songs.
He was recognised for achieving 1 billion streams worldwide during his London concert on November 7, 2022 and he also performed at the Ballon d’Or ceremony held at the Theatre du Châtelet in Paris, France on October 30, 2023.
The 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.
