Rema Makes Waves at Ballon d’Or Ceremony

Nigerian afrobeats singer Divine Ikubor – who is known by his stage name, Rema – lit up the stage last night, Monday 30 October, at the 2023 Ballon d’Or.

The glitzy ceremony took place in Paris, France to celebrate the most noteworthy soccer players of the year. Rema himself made history with the performance, having been the first African musician to perform at the prestigious event.

Midway through the performance of his hit single, “Calm Down”, Rema took the opportunity to descend into the crowd and shake hands with some of the sport’s biggest icons, including Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva.

The 23-year-old singer shared a video of his dynamic performance via Instagram shortly after the event with the simple caption: “Afrobeat in Ballon d’Or, I’m truly grateful for the opportunity. Glory to the most high for the grace.”

Rema is joining a slew of Nigerian artists who are gaining recognition for their Afrobeats sound, including Davido and Burna Boy, amongst others. Davido appeared at the 2022 FIFA World Cup final in Qatar, meanwhile Burna Boy performed at the 2023 UEFA Champions League final in Istanbul.

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