Calm Down: Rema’s song rewrites Billboard’s history with one year reign

Nigerian music star Rema, also known as Divine Ikubor, has reached a milestone with his hit song ‘Calm Down,’ featuring Selena Gomez. The track has made history by becoming the first-ever song to hold a position on the Billboard US Afrobeats Songs chart for an entire year.

This news was officially announced by Chart Data, an American data collection company, on Monday.

For 52 consecutive weeks, ‘Calm Down’ has secured the top spot on the Billboard US Afrobeats Songs chart.

While it secured the third position on the prestigious Billboard Hot 100 chart, the song soared to become number one on the Canadian Top Songs chart, underscoring its widespread appeal.

An additional feat for ‘Calm Down’ is its inclusion in the esteemed Guinness World Records. The track has the unique honour of being the First No.1 Hit on The Official MENA Chart, which stands as the world’s inaugural regional streaming chart. This feat was achieved when the song debuted at a remarkable No. 1 position during the unveiling of the MENA Chart by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) on November 29, 2022.

Rema’s ‘Calm Down’ has undeniably etched its place in musical history, solidifying its position through an exceptional year-long journey on the Billboard charts and multiple accomplishments atop various music charts.

Rema shared the inspiration behind the song, saying, “Calm Down” is all about the events that led me to finding love at the time. It started at a party where I saw a girl who stood out from other girls so I felt like shooting my shot. We spoke and danced… but her friends didn’t let me get any closer which killed the vibe, but afterwards when they weren’t there, we stayed in touch and hit it off.

Selena Gomez joined the journey too, with a remix released on August 17, 2022. The anticipation was stoked by her social media post featuring herself and Rema captioned “coming soon.” The remix, released a week later, has garnered an impressive 610 million views to date.

The accolades for “Calm Down” don’t stop there. The song has been recognized across various awards and nominations, including:

• African Entertainment Awards USA 2022: Nominated for Best Music Video (Selena Gomez remix).
• African Muzik Magazine Awards 2023: Pending for Best Collaboration (Selena Gomez remix).
• All Africa Music Awards 2023: Nominated for Best Male Artiste in Western Africa and Song of the Year.
• Global Awards 2023: Nominated for Best Social Trended Song (Selena Gomez remix).
• The Headies 2023: Pending for Song of the Year and Best Music Video.
• iHeartRadio Music Awards 2023: Nominated for Best Music Video (Selena Gomez remix).
• MTV Video Music Awards 2023: Pending for Song of the Year, Best Collaboration, and Best Afrobeats (all under the Selena Gomez remix category).
• NRJ Music Awards 2022: Nominated for International Song of the Year and International Collaboration of the Year (Selena Gomez remix).
• Soundcity MVP Awards 2023: Nominated for Listener’s Choice, Viewers’ Choice, and Best Pop.