As the 23-year-old frequently referred to as the “golden child” of Nigeria’s music industry, Rema has gone from Benin City to locales as diverse as Curaçao, the Norwegian city of Tønsberg, and three cities in India, where he became the first Nigerian artist to complete a sold-out tour. 2022 single Calm Down is one of the biggest African hits ever with 1.6bn Spotify streams (across the original and Selena Gomez-starring remix) and his rapid global stardom has placed him as an immediate peer, rather than heir, to long-established countrymen such as Wizkid, Burna Boy and Davido.
For all his commerciality, this sold-out gig at London’s O2 shows an artist willing to take risks and frame his artistry as not limited to Afrobeats. Opening with a rockstar entrance, Rema ascends to the stage straddling a horse on jagged rocks, lit by red fog and visuals of nuclear explosions, as he sings new track DND with husky and aggressive tones. “I don do too much Ps and Qs right now,” he sings, affirming a refusal to please others, which will prove prophetic.
