Nigerian artist Divine Ikubor, known professionally as Rema, has made history with his hit single “Calm Down Remix,” featuring American singer Selena Gomez. The track has become the first Afrobeats song to surpass 1 billion views on YouTube, marking a significant milestone for the genre on a global scale.
The remix video, uploaded on Gomez’s YouTube channel two years ago, reached this groundbreaking view count faster than any other African song, setting a record by hitting the 1 billion mark within just two years. The original version of “Calm Down,” released before the collaboration with Gomez, has also seen widespread success, amassing over 619 million views on the platform.
Rema’s rise has been marked by major achievements in the international music scene. Last year, “Calm Down Remix” became the first African song to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify and currently boasts over 1.5 billion streams on the platform, further establishing Rema as one of the most influential figures bringing Afrobeats into the global mainstream.
