Rema’s ‘Calm Down’ Becomes Highest-Selling African Song in the US, Nears Diamond Certification

Since its release in 2022 as a lead single from Rema’s debut album ‘Rave & Roses,’ the song ‘Calm Down‘ has achieved remarkable global commercial success. In a significant milestone, ‘Calm Down’ featuring Selena Gomez, has sold 7 million units in the United States, earning it a 7-time platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). This achievement marks the song as the most commercially successful African track in the US.

The success of ‘Calm Down’ extends beyond sales. It became the first African song to surpass one billion streams in the United States, a landmark achievement for both Rema and Nigerian music. The remix version of the song enjoyed an impressive run on the Billboard Hot 100, spending over 52 weeks on the chart and peaking at No. 3. This position is the highest for a Nigerian song and the second highest for an African song, following Hugh Masekela’s 1968 hit ‘Grazing In The Grass,’ which reached No. 1.

‘Calm Down’ also holds several other records. It is the most streamed Afrobeats song on Spotify, surpassing one billion streams, and has accumulated over two billion streams across all versions. Additionally, the song’s music video is the most viewed Nigerian music video on YouTube, with over 928 million views.

As ‘Calm Down’ reaches 7X platinum status, Rema is on the brink of making history as the first African artist to achieve a diamond-certified song in the United States. He is in close competition with CKay’s ‘Love Nwantiti,’ Africa’s highest RIAA-certified song with 8 million units sold.

Following the massive success of ‘Calm Down,’ Rema released the EP ‘Ravage’ and has since followed up with his sophomore album ‘HEIS.’

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Ikenna Churchill

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