How I Felt Doing Halftime Show With Burna Boy and Tems - Rema

Nigerian musician Divine Ikubor popularly known as Rema is enjoying a lot of success right now in the music industry around the world. After having a smash hit with the song "Calm Down" which went on to get an international boost when American singer Selena Gomez jumped on the remix, he has also now recently also headlined the just concluded 2023 NBA All-Star Halftime Show. He wasn't alone on that stage though, other huge Afrobeats acts Burna Boy and Tems also performed during the halftime show. Rema used the opportunity to sing his already existing hit "Calm Down" while also promoting his new single "Holiday".

During a new interview with W Magazine, Rema is now opening up about how it was to headline the halftime show along with Burna Boy and Tems, what the creation of his music is like, and more. Here is what Rema had to say.

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Speaking about his album Rave & Roses, Rema said:

REMA: Rave & Roses was the final destination in terms of the sounds and aesthetic. It tells a great story of what Rema stands for, and gave me something that nobody can dispute: it sealed my position in Afrobeats and where I’m taking the genre.

Speaking about his sound being compared to Indian music, Rema said:

REMA: While I was creating my sound and making my first EP, a place like India didn’t cross my mind—until criticism of my music started. When the critics started saying I sounded Indian—and I’d never watched an Indian movie or listened to an Indian album—I started paying attention to that, and took it as inspiration to empower myself and prove that I could win with my sound.

Speaking about how he makes music and his musical process, Rema said:

REMA: I don’t aim for perfection when I’m working, my only requirement is that I’m putting my best foot forward. To see people appreciate the songs shows my best was enough for them—even though I know a lot of people would expect me to be chilling in Bali after the success of the album. I believe whatever attention I’ve been blessed with should be redirected toward elevating creative narratives around Africa. I know my music is opening a door to a whole new world, not just for me, but for everything coming out of Africa. That’s what makes me happy, because I know that if Afrobeats ever gets a bible, I’m going to be in it.

Speaking about how it was to perform at the Halftime show alongside Burna Boy and Tems, Rema said:

REMA: It was an important opportunity to represent our culture, what we stand for, and the misconceptions about us that we got to cleanse on that stage. I felt the importance of being a representative of Afrobeats, Nigeria, of Africa, and, importantly, Benin City.

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