Rema’s hit song ‘Calm Down,’ featuring Selena Gomez, has made history by becoming the first Afrobeats and African song to surpass 1 billion on-demand streams in the United States. This milestone was announced by Chart Data on June 17, 2024.
The song, originally released as part of Rema’s debut album ‘Raves & Roses’ in March 2022, gained even more popularity with a remix featuring Selena Gomez. The remix has become a global phenomenon, particularly in the US, where it set multiple records for an Afrobeats song and an African artist.
The ‘Calm Down’ remix reached an impressive 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, significant achievements for an African artist. Additionally, the song received a 4X platinum certification from the RIAA.
The remix, which has nearly 894 million views on YouTube, is currently the most watched music video by a Nigerian artist, thrusting Rema into the ranks of prominent Nigerian Afrobeats artists such as Burna Boy, Wizkid and Davido. It is also the first Afrobeats song on Spotify to surpass 1 billion streams.
