Rema's banger after banger

 Rema [Facebook]

“Another banger!”

Celebrated Afrobeat star Rema's star is shining, finding success in hit after hit. 

You may have heard the Nigerian artiste saying the slogan right before top tracks like Calm Down, Charm and Ginger Me. And he is not wrong.

Now, when he’s not making red-carpet appearances, he’s hanging out and working with international superstars like Selena Gomez and Ice Spice.

“I feel really amazing, and first I want to thank God for his grace. In a year I have made such an effect on the game and on Afrobeat as a whole, and it’s really huge. Seeing how far I’ve one in these 11 months is like the tip of the iceberg in what I will achieve in 2 years, three years and longer; its mind-blowing to see what I will achieve,” the star told Capital Xtra on a radio on interview in 2020.

At the time, his February 2020 track Beamer (Bad Boys) was all the hype, and he would follow it up with bangers like Ginger Me. It went on to amass more than 40 million views on YouTube to date, and he was just starting out in his career.

Since speaking to Capital Xtra, he has had multiple interviews with entertainment media; speaking to Rolling Stone, Billboard and Pitchfork .

Rolling Stone UK reported: “Although he speaks nostalgically of growing up in the city [Benin], Rema left the capital for Ghana when he was 17 years old. ‘Things were tough in Benin,’ he explains, ‘I had to find bread for my family. I ran away from home because we were facing a lot of issues and I had to make ends meet.’”

The young superstar talked about hardship in his childhood, like the loss of his father and brother, and having to take up hard labour to survive.

Rema told the publication about how his journey in music started when he was a teenager, and how he would mix and match melodies, experimenting with hip-hop, lo-fi and Rock music.

The 23-year-old was discovered by the D’Prince, CEO of Jonzing World, a Nigerian record label, in 2018 after his Instagram post freestyling over the singer’s ‘Gucci Gang’ went viral.

Jonzing World is a subsidiary of the famous Mavin Records owned by Nigerian music mogul Don Jazzy, and is a former home to West African superstars like Tiwa Savage, Wande Coal and Iyanya.

Now, the label boasts names like Ayra Starr, Ladipoe, Di’Ja and Magixx..

After getting signed, Rema jumped straight to work, releasing his self-titled EP, Rema in 2019. Apple Music lists 4 tracks on the EP, Iron Man, Why, Dumebi and Corny.

Native Magazine describes the work as a showcase of the artiste’s diverse array of sonic influences, ranging from trap, Afro-pop and Bollywood soundtracks.

“His liking for Indian-inspired melodies was first established on 'Turn Up', where he reportedly contributed the vocals for the bridge of the DJ Tunez, Wizkid, and Reekado Banks single,” the the magazine wrote.

"His songcraft, knack for catchy melodies, hooks and an understanding of how Auto-Tune best suits Afropop is a rare combination that is pushing the envelope for what we know now as pop music from Nigeria.”

He would later look back at how the ‘Rema’ EP was how it all began.

Taking to his X account in 2019, Rema wrote: “Two years in the game, and it all started with this EP. So many wins and trials, still I’m grateful to God for his grace, for giving me an amazing team, for blessing me with a supportive fanbase and granting me wisdom that caused me to grow. Greater heights ahead.”

There were indeed, greater heights to scale for the Nigerian star, whose fame continued to grow with the release of tracks like Woman, Piece of Mind and Lady.

All those would become regular hits at clubs, bordering on tens of millions of views on YouTube. Then, there were the likes of Calm Down last year, with 540 million views to date. This would cement his position as a global superstar.

Calm Down is off Rema’s 2022 album Rave and Roses, which has been described by Pitchfork as “diverse” and “a display of his strengths.”

“Rema sounds just as confident and irrepressibly youthful as ever on his debut album, Rave & Roses. Shepherded by plush and detailed production that spans romantic Afropop, booming dembow, hedonistic synthpop, and hints of amapiano, Rema’s vocals play double dutch with the beats, showing off a spirited playfulness and incredible skill.”

Earlier this year, he collaborated with American superstar Selena Gomez on the now super successful remix for the track Calm-Down. The remix would mark his entry into the Billboard Hot 100 chats, where it peaked at number 3.

Speaking about working with Selena, Rema told Billboard Magazine: “It started with being a fan [and] supporting her music. She actually came across my music too, and she also wrote to me. Our teams got familiar and we started working towards this good music that came out. It started that from friendship, to colliding our teams together, and everyone is like a big family right now. It was very much organic, and we made it happen, and it’s just so huge. I’m amazed.”

 Rema and Selena Gomez [Instagram]

And now, more collabos with international acts seem to be on the horizon, if his recently released song with Ice Spice, Pretty Girl, is anything to go by.

“This marks the first time the Bronx-bred rapper[Ice-Spice], who’s Nigerian by way of her father, and the Nigerian Afro-rave singer have collaborated on a song,” Billboard Magazine writes on the October 2023 track.

Speaking to Capital Xtra, Rema talked about the uniqueness of his sound, describing putting humming sounds in some major hits as a well-thought-out, calculated and spiritual move, highlighting the humming on some of his beloved work.

“People say that you have to sound like an OG or sound super educated in every sound. But that freedom and that fun that I infuse in that sound actually made it what it is right now.”