Superstar Rema has revealed he could not sing when he was signed to a record label and only learned the skill under pressure in 2018.
The Mavin Records artist disclosed that he started his career as a rapper who dropped back-to-back freestyles, but was told he needed to switch to Afrobeats to succeed in Nigeria.
“What I’m going to say will not be strange to my day 1 fans, but it may shock people who knew later. Truth is, I actually didn’t know how to sing. I painfully learned how to sing around 2018,” Rema said.
He continued: “I was a rapper, & was just dropping freestyles back to back. When I got signed, I was told that I had to sing Afrobeats. But I told them that I could only rap; because I didn’t know how to sing. They told me that I was talented, but then, I can’t make it as a rapper in Nigeria. That I just have to channel my talent to singing.”
Rema described the learning process as difficult but necessary. “It wasn’t easy trying to learn singing. But I thought about it. I didn’t want to go back to Benin & miss all the opportunities they presented to me. The thought of going back to Benin & going back to p0verty propelled me to learn singing by force,” he added.
His perseverance paid off quickly. “I started singing Afrobeats, and the following year, 2019, I got my breakthrough,” the ‘Calm Down’ hitmaker stated.
The confession has sparked reactions among fans, many of whom praised Rema’s honesty and determination in building one of Africa’s most successful music careers from humble beginnings in Edo State.
