Nigeria’s afrobeat singer, Divine Ikubor, known professionally as Rema’s hit song ‘Calm Down,’ featuring Selena Gomez, has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Afrobeats and African song to surpass a billion on-demand streams in the United States.
Chart Data announced this achievement on 17th June 2024.
REMA's "Calm Down" becomes the first Afrobeats song in history to earn over 1 billion on-demand streams in the US. pic.twitter.com/K29GwYULZI
— chart data (@chartdata) June 16, 2024
Originally released as part of Rema’s debut album ‘Raves & Roses’ in March 2022, ‘Calm Down’ gained further popularity with a remix featuring Selena Gomez.
The remix has become a global sensation, particularly in the United States, where it set multiple records for an Afrobeats song and an African artist.
The ‘Calm Down’ remix reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest position for a contemporary African song since Hugh Masekela’s ‘Grazing In The Grass’ in 1968.
It also spent over 52 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Pop Airplay Chart, both significant achievements for an African artist. Additionally, the song received a 4X platinum certification from the RIAA.
On Spotify, ‘Calm Down’ is the first Afrobeats song to surpass a billion streams. The music video has also set records on YouTube, with the original version amassing over 596 million views and the remix attracting 893 million views, making it the most-viewed music video by a Nigerian artist.
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