Rema, a multi-award winning Afrobeats singer and composer from Nigeria, stops by CNN International’s studios this week for African Voices Changemakers, a magazine program supported by Globacom, a technology business.
The 24-year-old celebrity, real name Divine Ikubor, who was born in Edo State, first became interested in music when he started playing for his peers at church and at Ighile Group of Schools, his secondary school.
The 24-year-old celebrity, real name Divine Ikubor, who was born in Edo State, first became interested in music when he started playing for his peers at church and at Ighile Group of Schools, his secondary school.
He became well-known after sharing a freestyle to D’Prince’s song “Gucci Gang” on Instagram that went viral. Astonished by his exceptional ability, D’Prince took him to Lagos and extended an offer of a record contract with Jonzing World, a division of Mavin Records that is owned by music producer and executive Don Jazzy. His 2019 smash song “Dumebi” was the contract’s first success.
With the release of his song “Calm Down,” Rema made his debut internationally in 2022 and subsequently collaborated with American artist Selena Gomez on a remix. For a record-breaking 58 weeks, the song peaked at number one on the Billboard Afrobeats Songs chart and number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
Rema has won numerous accolades for his musical achievements, including the Billboard Music Award for Top Afrobeats Songs and the MTV Video Music Award for Best Afrobeats Video.
During his London concert on November 7, 2022, he received an award for reaching one billion streams globally. On October 30, 2023, he performed at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, which took place at the Theatre du Châtelet in Paris, France.
The interesting version will air on Saturday at 8.30 a.m., with a noon rerun that same day. There will be more replays on Sunday at 4.30 a.m., Monday at 4 a.m., and Sunday at 7:00 p.m.
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