Nigerian superstar Rema is making waves globally with his music and sold-out concerts. Recently, his new project ‘HEIS’ set a record for the most streams in its first week on Spotify Nigeria, reaching 12.3 million streams.
Rema’s second album surpassed Olamide’s ‘Ikigai,’ which had 7.92 million streams in its opening week. Released on July 10, 2024, ‘HEIS’ now holds the second-highest opening week streams on Spotify Nigeria, just behind Davido’s ‘Timeless,’ which had 14.4 million streams.
Before his album launch, Rema released the single ‘Benin Boys’ featuring Shallipopi, breaking the record for most first-day streams for a song on Spotify Nigeria. ‘HEIS’ also broke the record for opening day streams and achieved an impressive 1.99 million streams on the second day.
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These accomplishments highlight Rema’s status as a global star. He previously made history with his hit single ‘Calm Down,’ which was the first Afrobeats song to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify.
Reactions to Rema’s debut album have been mixed. Some fans appreciate his bold experimentation, while others have different opinions about the quality. At a listening party in London, Rema mentioned that his new album aims to bring Afrobeats back to its roots, criticizing how the sound is being simplified for foreign audiences.