Biography of Rema

Biography

Divine Ikubor (born May 1, 2000) is a Nigerian leading singer and songwriter who is among the exclusive list of artists considered to be the future of Afrobeats. The music star and pioneer of the Afrorave genre is known professionally as Rema.

His journey to stardom began after he was discovered by A&R and talent manager, D’Prince, then signed to Jonzing World, a subsidiary of Mavin Records. Rema became a force to reckon with in the industry after releasing his self-titled, Rema, which contains hit singles like Dumebi and Iron Man.

The latter single found its way to the Summer Playlist of Former US President, Barack Obama. He won the coveted Next Rated Artist award at The Headies in 2019.

Early Life

Rema was born into the Ikubor family on the 1st Of May 2000. Arriving into the world on Worker’s Day, his parents gave him the name, Divine eight days later. He is the firstborn and first male child of the family.

Career 

In 2018, Rema posted a viral freestyle on Instagram 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, 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's released the music video of "Dumebi", a major breakout song from his self-titled EP, featuring a cameo appearance from Diana Eneje. The video was directed by Ademola Falomo and currently has 50 million views on YouTube.

In May 2021, Rema announced he will be calling his sound "Afrorave", a subgenre of Afrobeats with influences of Arabian and Indian music which has led to him having one of the strongest fanbase 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.

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 on 25 March 2022. The album includes 16 tracks and features from 6lack, Chris Brown, AJ Tracey, and Yseult. The album charted 10 songs on the US Billboard Afrobeats Chart following its debut week. His single "Calm Down", including a sample from fellow Nigerian artist Crayon's track "So Fine", then began charting five months after its official release.

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 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 Artistes nominated for the awards edition of 2020.

Personal Life

Rema is a supporter of football club Manchester United F.C.

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 in the FIFA 21 soundtracks.