WATCH Rema’s Moment of Magic at the 2023 Ballon d’Or
Nigerian Afrobeats star Rema added another milestone to his ever-evolving career with his performance of his hit song “Calm Down” at the 2023 Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris.
The event, which featured some of the biggest names in football, past and present, saw the Jonzing World star take the stage in his unique all-black fashion and ensemble to perform the global hit.
Flanked on either side by two beautiful dancers, Rema serenaded the audience with a thrilling mid-tempo version of the song that has garnered over 1 billion streams on Spotify.
Rema’s performance saw him as the first African act to perform at the award and continues Afrobeats’ exciting interaction and relationship with global sporting events.
In recent memory, Davido performed at the 2022 World Cup closing ceremony and the 2023 PFA awards, while Burna Boy performed at the 2022/2023 UEFA Champions League final. Burna Boy, Tems, and Rema also performed at the NBA All-Star finals.
Rema and American pop star Selena Gomez won a 2023 MTV Video Music Award for the remix of “Calm Down.”
The duo took home the award in the inaugural Best Afrobeats category for their global wave-making song “Calm Down.”
First released on February 11, 2022, “Calm Down” is the second single from Rema’s debut studio album Rave & Roses.
The remix with Selena Gomez was released on August 25, 2022, and since then, it has been a global hit. Rema earned his first career Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit with the remix of the global record “Calm Down.”
Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen became the highest-ranked Nigerian player at the Ballon d’Or and also the highest-ranked African player at the year’s edition with his 8th-place finish after his scintillating performance for club and country.
