Rema’s “Calm Down” has climbed to the No. 1 position on the Radio Songs chart, an important ranking for the young Nigerian singer.
The song has also made history by becoming the first-ever No. 1 hit on The Official MENA Chart.
According to Forbes, Billboard’s Radio Songs chart ranks tunes based on their reach and popularity on radio stations across the United States. “Calm Down” climbs from its previous position at No. 2 to claim the coveted top spot, indicating its continued growing popularity among listeners.
The outlet further states that Selena Gomez’s involvement in the track significantly contributed to its rise. By transforming the solo cut into a duet, Gomez brought a fresh perspective to the song, appealing to a wider audience and leveraging her immense popularity to amplify its reach.
But the song also does well on its own merits. For instance, “Calm Down” is a catchy Afrobeats song that talks about the singer’s quest for love. The song’s upbeat rhythm and memorable chorus have made it a hit with fans worldwide, and it has racked up almost 388 million streams on Spotify. The song’s viral remix has achieved a whopping 717,512,920 streams on the same music platform and still counting.
International success has also been a factor as Rema has been steadily on the rise ever since his debut, counting on an ever-growing fanbase and racking up international fame. “Calm Down” has charted across Europe, reaching number one on the Belgian Ultratop 50, Dutch Top 40, and Dutch Single Top 100. In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number three and spent 26 non-consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart. The song also reached number one on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.
Also worth mentioning is the song’s historical significance.
“Calm Down” has made history by becoming the highest-charting hit from an Afrobeats lead artiste in Billboard Hot 100 history. The song has also become the first-ever No. 1 hit on The Official MENA Chart. This achievement is significant not only for Rema but also for the Afrobeats genre as a whole, as it continues to gain recognition and popularity worldwide.
As of January 2023, “Calm Down” set a new record on YouTube as the most-viewed Afrobeats video on the platform, surpassing a record previously held by CKay’s “Love Nwantiti Remix”.
The song’s success has helped to solidify Afrobeats as a vibrant and dynamic genre of popular music, celebrating African culture, resilience and creativity.
