Biography
Who is Rema?
Early life and background
Divine Ikubor was born on 1 May 2000 in Benin City, Nigeria. He grew up in a Christian household within the Igbanke community. During his secondary school years at Ighile Group of Schools in Edo State, he began singing and rapping.
His musical path started when he performed in churches alongside Alpha P. Following the loss of his father and elder brother, his mother raised him in Benin City. He later moved to Lagos to pursue his career under the mentorship of D'Prince.
Rise to fame and musical style
Rema became widely recognized after he shared a freestyle video of himself rapping to D'Prince's track Gucci Gang on Instagram. This post caught the attention of D'Prince, who signed him to the Jonzing World label, a subsidiary of Mavin Records. In 2019, he released his self-titled debut EP, which included the breakout track Dumebi.
He describes his unique musical sound as afrorave, a fusion of Afrobeats with house, hip-hop, and dancehall influences. In 2021, he officially adopted this term to classify his work, which incorporates Arabian and Indian musical elements. His fans refer to themselves as Ravers.
Career milestones and international success
The artist achieved global prominence with the 2022 single Calm Down. A remix featuring Selena Gomez reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The track also set a record by leading the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for 58 weeks. His debut album, Rave & Roses, was released in 2022 and featured collaborations with artists like Chris Brown and 6lack.
In 2024, he released his second studio album, Heis, which reached the top of the TurnTable Top 100 Albums chart. The project featured singles such as Benin Boys with Shallipopi. Heis earned him his first Grammy Award nomination for Best Global Music Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. Also, he performed at the 2026 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony alongside Lisa and Anitta.
Personal life and education
In 2020, he publicly stated on Twitter that he believed the Peoples Democratic Party had involvement in the death of his father, Justice Ikubor. He has navigated these personal challenges while maintaining his career in the music industry.
He gained admission to the University of Lagos in 2022. However, his studies were interrupted in 2023 due to the ASUU teaching union strike, which forced his departure from the institution.
Birthday and age
Rema was born on May 1, 2000, which makes Rema 26 years old today. That birthday falls under the Taurus sign. Rema shares the date with 60 other famous people.
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