It’s a moment to celebrate for Nigerian music sensation Rema as his hit song, the ‘Calm Down’ remix featuring Selena Gomez, claims yet another prestigious accolade, News About Nigeria reports.
This time, Rema’s track secured a win at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in the inaugural ‘Best Afrobeats’ category, News About Nigeria reports.
The VMAs returned to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on the night of September 12, 2023, to honour some of the biggest names in the Top 40 music arena.
Rema, signed to the Jonzin World label, emerged victorious in the ‘Best Afrobeats’ category, surpassing fellow Afrobeats contemporaries such as Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, Ayra Starr, Fireboy DML, and Asake to claim the inaugural award.
During his acceptance speech, Rema seized the opportunity to express his gratitude to pioneers and trailblazers who have made significant contributions to the Afrobeats genre.
He acknowledged the late Fela Kuti, Don Jazzy, and D’Prince (his label heads), Tuface Idibia, D’Banj, Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy for their role in paving the way for artists like himself.
Rema also urged the new wave of contemporary Afrobeats artists to keep the flame burning, much like his role models have done in the past, in order to create more opportunities for incoming acts.
This award-winning song recently achieved a remarkable milestone by joining the billion-stream club on Spotify, becoming the first African song to accomplish such a feat.
With this win, Rema becomes the second African artist to receive a VMA award, following in the footsteps of Wizkid, who secured a VMA award in 2021.
