Nigerian afrobeat singer, Divine Ikubor, known as Rema, has made history with his single ‘Calm Down,’ emerging as the first-ever number-one hit on the official MENA chart.
The Mavin record and Jonzing World label singer, 23, topped the charts worldwide with the single “Calm Down”.
On 29 November 2022, the IFPI (Federation of the Phonographic Industry) announced that the track was the first ever to top the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) music streaming chart.
Official MENA chart which was recently launched is a regional platform where “music fans” will be able to celebrate the top streaming tracks on a weekly basis with the regional top 20 tracks.”
The song which was from his debut studio album Rave & Roses in 2022 was released on 11 February 2022, through Jonzing World and Mavin as the album’s second single.
The hit which is the second lead single of Rema’s debut album talks about the singer’s quest for love.
The young rapper has been steadily on the rise ever since his debut, counting on an ever-growing fanbase and racking up international fame.
“Calm Down” stands at almost 388,000,000 streams on Spotify, while its viral remix with US artist Selena Gomez achieved a whopping 717,512,920 streams on the same music platform.
The 2022 international hit made history when it skyrocketed to the top of The Official MENA Chart, shortly after the launch of the chart itself.
Rema’s hit bagged several nominations and steadily placed at the top of international charts, reaching the Top 3 in Belgium, France, Portugal and the Netherlands (among other countries).
In 2023, the remix featuring Selena earned a nomination at the Global Awards as Best Social Trended Song.
The 23-year-old singer is not new to feat but was pleased to hear the news.
“I’d like to thank all of my fans across the region who streamed ‘Calm Down’ and helped it to become the first ever Official MENA Chart #1!
“I am so happy that you are enjoying the song and very proud to be the first artist to reach #1. Thanks also to the team at my label for their support,” Rema said on the official MENA website.
Rema puts forward a fresh, globalized, brave take on Afrobeats that seems to work for the international market, with his remix with Selena charting at No.1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S.
Rema tops Global Excl. U.S. in his first appearance on the chart, following the artist’s debut on the chart.
“Calm Down” also landed an incredible No.5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song charted across Europe, reaching number one on the Belgian Ultratop 50, Dutch Top 40, and Dutch Single Top 100.
