The song ‘Calm Down’ by Rema has achieved massive success, surpassing a billion streams, winning awards, and dominating numerous charts, marking it as Africa’s biggest musical export to date.
In another remarkable milestone, Rema’s collaboration on ‘Calm Down’ with Selena Gomez has become the first Afrobeats and African song to reach over a billion on-demand streams in the United States.
Chart Data disclosed this achievement on June 17, 2024. The track featured prominently on Rema’s debut album ‘Raves & Roses’ from March 2022, initially gaining commercial traction before a remix featuring Selena Gomez was added to the deluxe edition.
The remix became a global sensation, particularly in the United States, where it broke multiple records for an Afrobeats song and a track by an African artist. It peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, setting a new benchmark for contemporary African music, trailing only Hugh Masekela’s 1968 hit ‘Grazing In The Grass’.
Additionally, ‘Calm Down’ spent more than 52 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top of the Billboard Pop Airplay Chart, both achievements setting new records for African artists. Its success in the US is further underscored by its 4X platinum RIAA certification.
Notably, Rema’s ‘Calm Down’ holds the distinction of being the first Afrobeats song to exceed a billion streams on Spotify. It also boasts the record for the most-watched music video by a Nigerian artist on YouTube, with the original version surpassing 596 million views and the remix amassing 893 million views.