The Guardian (Nigeria)

2024 BRITS Awards: Rema Thrills Audience With Pulsating Performanc­e

- By Daniel Anazia

NIGERIAN pop superstar, s Divine Ikubor, well known as Rema, Rema gave what would be described as a pulsating performanc­e per at the just concluded 44th BRITS Awards Aw ceremony, which held at the O2 Arena in London.

Taking the stage s on Saturday night, March 2, Rema delivered a captivatin­g rendition of o his hit single, Calm Down, which whic holds the record for the highest- charting c African song on the UK Singles Sin Chartwith a No. 3 peak position, p thus, leaving the audience e mesmerised and clamouring in for more.

The rapper was among Nigerian music artistes nominated at this year’s award ceremony Calm Down getting a nod for Internatio­nal Song of the Year, which it lost to Miley Cyrus’ Flowers.

The Mavin Global artiste wasn’t the only afrobeats star nominated at this year’s BRITS. He had fellow countrymen, Asake and Burna Boy, who were also nominated in the ‘ Internatio­nal Artist of the Year’ category but lost to SZA, who won the award for the first time in her career. Notwithsta­nding his loss, the Edo State native displayed cool confidence, brushing off any pre- show nerves with a simple yet powerful statement: “I wrote Calm Down, I’m not nervous.”

As the second African artiste to perform at the prestigiou­s event after Burna Boy in 2018, Rema’s presence symbolised a new height in the genre’s journey to global recognitio­n. With his own set designers brought on stage to curate a visually stunning backdrop, he ensured that every aspect of his performanc­e was a feast for the senses.

Beyond his performanc­e, Rema also made history as the first African artiste to be specifical­ly billed as a performer on the BRITS stage. The afrobeat star was announced on X with the award page saying: “First ever African artiste billed to perform at the BRITS Awards.”

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