Nigerian pop superstar, Divine Ikubor, well known as Rema, gave what would be described as a pulsating performance at the just concluded 44th BRITs Awards ceremony, which held at the O2 Arena in London.
Taking the stage on Saturday night, March 2, Rema delivered a captivating rendition of his hit single, Calm Down, which holds the record for the highest-charting African song on the UK Singles Chartwith a No. 3 peak position, thus, leaving the audience mesmerised and clamouring for more.
The rapper was among Nigerian music artistes nominated at this year’s award ceremony Calm Down getting a nod for International Song of the Year, which it lost to Miley Cyrus’ Flowers.
The Mavin Global artiste wasn’t the only afrobeats star nominated at this year’s BRITs. He had fellow countrymen, Asake and Burna Boy, who were also nominated in the ‘International Artist of the Year’ category but lost to SZA, who won the award for the first time in her career.
Notwithstanding his loss, the Edo State native displayed cool confidence, brushing off any pre-show nerves with a simple yet powerful statement: “I wrote Calm Down, I’m not nervous.”
As the second African artiste to perform at the prestigious event after Burna Boy in 2018, Rema’s presence symbolised a new height in the genre’s journey to global recognition. With his own set designers brought on stage to curate a visually stunning backdrop, he ensured that every aspect of his performance was a feast for the senses.
Beyond his performance, Rema also made history as the first African artiste to be specifically billed as a performer on the BRITs stage. The afrobeat star was announced on X with the award page saying: “First ever African artiste billed to perform at the BRITs Awards.”
