When Nigerian singer Rema burst onto the scene with “Dumebi,” one of the standout Afrobeats tracks of the late 2010s, he was still a teenager, and it showed. The video depicted him enjoying a carefree day with other stylish teens in bright, casual outfits reminiscent of Forever 21.
His nasal trills conveyed a youthful innocence, despite his cheeky advances, likening his genitals to a banana in Yoruba. His voice had barely matured by the time he released the original version of “Calm Down” about three years later.
The track gained international acclaim when Selena Gomez jumped on the remix, bringing its catchy hook, gentle tone, and slick charm to a global audience. This collaboration earned Rema the MTV Video Music Awards’ inaugural Moon Person for Afrobeats and made him the first African artist to have a track surpass one billion streams on Spotify.
“Calm Down” was a single from his debut album, Rave & Roses, which featured sweet, seductive Afrobeats infused with jazz and dancehall influences, alongside vibrant cartoon aesthetics and a teddy bear mascot.
While Rema’s earlier work had a slight edge to its sugary appeal, it was accessible and in line with contemporary trends—SoundCloud rap, poppy Afrobeats, and alternative R&B.
His latest album, Heis, diverges sharply from this style. Reflecting his long-time social media handle, “heisrema,” and the Greek word for “number one,” the album showcases a more mature and moody Rema at 24.
This darker imagery even led to accusations of Satanism following his groundbreaking, sold-out show at London’s O2 arena.
