Rema’s hit single ‘Calm Down,’ starring Selena Gomez, has become the first Afrobeats and African music to reach one billion on-demand streams in the United States. Chart Data announced the achievement on June 17, 2024.
Originally released as part of Rema’s debut album ‘Raves & Roses’ in March 2022, ‘Calm Down’ grew in popularity with a remix featuring Selena Gomez. The remix has become a worldwide hit, particularly in the United States, where it broke numerous records for an Afrobeats song and an African performer.
The ‘Calm Down’ remix peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest place for a modern 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, which are notable accomplishments for an African musician. In addition, the RIAA certified the song 4 times platinum.
On Spotify, ‘Calm Down’ is the first Afrobeats song to reach one billion streams. The song video has also broken records on YouTube, with the original version receiving over 596 million views and the remix receiving 893 million views, making it the most-viewed music video by a Nigerian artist.