Divine Ikubor (born 1 May 2000) professionally known by his stage name Rema, is a Nigerian singer, musician, and rapper. He rose to stardom with the release of the song "Dumebi". In 2019, he later signed a record deal with Jonzing World, a subsidiary of Mavin Records.

Early life

Divine Ikubor was born into a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

family in

Benin City Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, Edo State, Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano (city), Kano, and Ibadan, with a population estimate of about 3,500,000 as of ...

. He grew up singing and rapping while he was in secondary school. He attended his primary and secondary school education at Ighile Group of Schools,

Edo State Edo, commonly known as Edo State, is a state located in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. As of 2006 National population census, the state was ranked as the 24th populated state (3,233,366) in Nigeria, However there was controversy ...

. He lost his father and elder brother but still takes good care of his mother.

Career

He started his music career in churches. In 2018, Rema posted a viral freestyle on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

to D'Prince's track "Gucci Gang". The post caught the attention of D'Prince who flew him to Lagos to offer a record deal to the young talent. Rema signed a record deal with D'Prince's Jonzing World, a subsidiary of Mavin Records owned by record producer

Don Jazzy Michael Collins Ajereh (born 26 November 1982), known professionally as Don Jazzy, is a Nigerian record producer. He is the founder and the CEO of Mavin Records. Don Jazzy was co-owner of the now-defunct Mo' Hits Records record label with D'ba ...

, in 2019. He went on to release his self-titled debut EP "''Rema"'' in 2019, which peaked at number 1 on Apple Music Nigeria. On 21 May 2019, Jonzing World, and

Mavin Mavin may refer to: * Fred Mavin (1884–1957), English football player and manager * Steve Mavin (born 1968), Australian rugby league footballer * Mavin Manyshaped, heroine of three science fiction novels by Sheri S. Tepper * Mavin, Qazvin, Iran ...

s released the music video of "Dumebi", a major breakout song from his self-titled EP, featuring a cameo appearance from

Diana Eneje Diana Chioma Eneje (born August 19, 2002), known professionally as Diana Eneje, is a Nigerian fashion enthusiasts, Model (person), model, vlogger and Social media personality, born and raised in Lagos, and hails from Enugu state, Enugu, a state ...

. The video was directed by Ademola Falomo and currently has 60 million views on YouTube. Later that summer, In 2019, one of his other most popular songs from the EP gained more popularity when it was placed on former president of the United States of America, Barack Obama's summer playlist. In May 2021, Rema announced he will be calling his sound "Afrorave", a subgenre of

Afrobeats Afrobeats (not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing), or Afro-pop or Afro-fusion (or Afropop or Afrofusion), is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and ...

with influences of Arabian and Indian music which has led to him having one of the strongest fanbases in the country known as Ravers. In September 2021, Rema was unveiled as a brand ambassador for the popular soft drink Pepsi alongside his label mate Ayra Starr. On 7 November 2022, Rema received on stage an award during his London concert as his songs achieved 1 billion streams worldwide.

''Rave & Roses''

After Rema signed a record deal with Jonzing World in 2019, he released his debut EP ''Rema''. After two more EPs, he released his debut album ''

Rave & Roses ''Rave & Roses'' is the debut studio album by Nigerian singer Rema. It was released on 25 March 2022 via Jonzing World and Mavin Records. The album included guest appearances from 6lack, Chris Brown, AJ Tracey, and Yseult. Background In May 20 ...

'' on 25 March 2022. The album includes 16 tracks and features from 6lack,

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

, AJ Tracey, and Yseult. The album charted 10 songs on the US ''Billboard'' Afrobeats Chart following its debut week. His single "

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", including a sample from fellow Nigerian artist Crayon's track "So Fine", then began charting five months after its official release. On August 26, 2022, he released a remix of his song "Calm Down" with Selena Gomez which debuted at number 91 on Billboard Hot 100.

Awards

On 19 October 2019, Rema won Next Rated and was nominated for Viewer's Choice at the 13th edition of The Headies. On 12 January 2020, he received the Soundcity MVP Awards for the best new artist. On 15 June 2020, Rema was nominated as Best Viewers Choice: International Act on the 2020 BET Awards. He was nominated on the awards alongside Burna Boy and Wizkid, they were the only Nigerian artists nominated for the awards edition of 2020. Rema's track ''Woman'' reached number fifteen on World Digital Song Sales

Personal life

Rema is a supporter of football club Manchester United F.C. He also made it known to Twitter that he has gained admission to the university of Lagos to fulfill his mothers' dream to get a degree. On 28 September 2020, Rema tweeted accusations against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the death of his father Justice Ikubor, who was a former chieftain of the party.

In culture

In September 2020, Rema's songs were included on the '' FIFA 21'' soundtracks.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Extended plays

Singles

Official videos

* "Dumebi" (2019) * "Bad Commando" (2019) * "Lady" (2019) * "Beamer (Bad Boys)" (2020) * "Ginger Me" (2020) * "Woman" (2020) * "Bounce" (2020) * "Soundgasm" (2021) * "Calm Down" (2022) * "FYN" (2022)

Awards and nominations

References

69.
First Top 10 Single on The Official Uk Singles Chart
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External links

Rema
at allmusic 2000 births Living people Musicians from Benin City Nigerian male rappers Nigerian male singers 21st-century Nigerian musicians 21st-century Nigerian male singers 21st-century rappers