Rema, whose real name is Divine Ikubor, is a Nigerian singer, rapper, and songwriter born on May 1, 2000, in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Read also:
He started his music career in churches with Alpha P and was part of a program called “Rap Nation” that taught kids how to rap for the congregation. Read also: 5 Nollywood Actors With Pot Bellies Yet Maintain Healthy Lifestyles
Rema was influenced by Michael Jackson, 2Face, TB1, and Frank Edwards, and took inspiration from the Nigerian Label Mo’ Hits era which monopolized the afro-pop scene with singers like Wande Coal, Dr. Sid, and D’Prince.
In 2018, Rema posted a viral freestyle on Instagram to D’Prince’s track “Gucci Gang,” which caught the attention of D’Prince who flew him to Lagos to offer a record deal to the young talent. Read also: Actor Bolanle Ninalowo Networth (2023)
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. Read also: 5 Nollywood Actresses That Are Dark Skinned
After two more EPs, he released his debut album “Rave & Roses” on March 25, 2022, which 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. Rema’s track “Woman” reached number fifteen on World Digital Song Sales.
Rema has won several awards throughout his career. In 2019, he won the “Next Rated” award and was nominated for “Viewer’s Choice” at the 13th edition of The Headies.
In 2020, he received the “Best New Artist” award at the Soundcity MVP Awards. He was also nominated for “Best Viewers Choice: International Act” at the 2020 BET Awards.
In 2022, he won the “Digital Artist of the Year” award at the Soundcity MVP Awards. In the same year, he was nominated for the “International Best New Artist” award at the BreakTudo Awards.
In 2023, Rema won three awards at the Headies Awards, including “Artist of the Year,” “Album of the Year,” and “Song of the Year”.