Rema’s ‘Rave and Roses’ Tour

Ferdinand Ekechukwu

Rema’s “Rave & Roses” tour has been on the lips of many going by the performances and stunts. For over a month, he performed in multiple cities across Europe. From Amsterdam to Copenhagen and Paris, Rema sold out! The Afrobeats phenomenon stormed Europe armed with his first full length album and numerous hits – the collection of music he calls Afrorave.

The tour was named after the album released in March 2022, and which had the massive hit, “Calm Down”.  His show at the 5,000-capacity 02 Brixton Arena, London last Monday, culminated in a bang. Rema, real name Divine Ikubor thrilled fans with a selection of his hit songs. During the widely acclaimed London leg of the tour, the music star featured a number of Nigerian artistes.

The Mavin Record signee brought out his friend and Nigerian superstar Fireboy who thrilled the crowd with some of his hit records including their collaboration, “Compromise”. Also on his set was Dave, the British-Nigerian superstar who wowed the crowd. There was also Victony. The fast-rising artiste dazzled the audience with his song ‘Different Sizes’ and ‘Soweto’.

More recently, Rema announced that “Calm Down” off the “Raves & Roses” album had surpassed the 1 billion streaming mark across platforms. The single since its release has enjoyed wide acceptance and the Selena Gomez-assisted remix further propelled the song to international fame. Rema is conquering the international stages. At the age of 22, Rema assumed one of the most important names in the new wave of Afrobeats stars.

His debut EP, “IronMan”, which also includes the track “Dumebi”, was released in 2019 and catapulted the young Nigerian prodigy into the spotlight, garnering praise from Rihanna, Drake, Skepta and FKA Twigs and even ending up on President Obama’s playlist. Switching his sounds to something he calls “Afrorave”, Rema released his highly anticipated debut album “Rave & Roses”, proving his talent for writing unstoppable with hits such as “Calm Down”, “Soundgasm” and “Time N Affection”.

The album also features a fine selection of guests, including Americans Chris Brown and 6LACK, British rapper AJ Tracey and French singer Yseult.