By Milcah Tanimu
In a significant milestone, the music video for ‘Calm Down,’ featuring Selena Gomez, has now achieved 700 million views on YouTube. While the combined views of both the original and the Selena Gomez-assisted versions have already surpassed 1 billion, the latter version is on a journey to become the first Nigerian music video to reach the 1 billion views mark.
The single, released in February 2022 as one of the lead tracks from Rema’s debut album ‘Calm Down,’ has enjoyed remarkable success across Africa and globally. It achieved top positions on music charts in North Africa, India, and the Middle East, earning Rema a Guinness World Record.
‘Calm Down’ also reached a peak position of No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart in Nigeria. It also charted in multiple European countries.
Notably, ‘Calm Down’ recently received the inaugural Afrobeats category award at the 2023 MTV EMAs, where it competed against other superstars like Davido, Burna Boy, and Asake.
As the international popularity of Afrobeats continues to rise, ‘Calm Down’ has become the most widely recognized export from the African continent. This achievement has brought Rema international acclaim and commercial success, establishing him as one of the leading figures in the Afrobeats genre.
