Divine Joshua Ikubor, known professionally as Rema, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and rapper who has become one of Afrobeats’ most distinctive young global exports. Born in Benin City, Edo State, he coined the term “Afrorave” to describe his own sound, a fusion of Afrobeats with house, hip-hop, dancehall, and Indian and Arabian musical influences. His 2022 single “Calm Down” became one of the most successful Afrobeats songs in history, and its remix with Selena Gomez pushed him into the top tier of global pop for an extended stretch, while a childhood marked by loss shaped both his resilience and the persona he later built as an artist.
What distinguishes Rema from many of his peers is the speed of his rise: he emerged from a difficult, often poverty-affected upbringing to international stardom within a few short years, largely under the mentorship of Nigerian producer D’Prince and the Mavin Records ecosystem. This article covers his life, family background, education, musical evolution, awards, business interests, and what is publicly known about his net worth.
Rema Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Divine Joshua Ikubor |
| Stage Name | Rema |
| Date of Birth | May 1, 2000 |
| Age | 26 years, 5 months, 24 days |
| Place of Birth | Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Profession | Singer, songwriter, rapper |
| Genres | Afrobeats, Afrorave, African hip-hop, pop rap, trap |
| Years Active | 2019present |
| Parents | Justice Ikubor (father, deceased 2008); mother, name not widely publicized |
| Relationship Status | Not publicly confirmed to be in a relationship; has been linked to several women without confirmation |
| Net Worth | Estimated in the range of $10 million to $22 million; exact figure not publicly known (see Net Worth section) |
Early Life and Family
Divine Joshua Ikubor was born on May 1, 2000, in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, into a devout Christian family with roots in Igbanke, in Edo State’s Orhionmwon local government area. His father, Justice Ikubor, was a chieftain in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former general manager of the state-owned Ethiope Publishing Company.
Rema’s childhood was defined by early, profound loss. In May 2008, when he was eight years old, his father was found dead in a hotel room in Benin City under circumstances that were never officially resolved; Rema has publicly suggested he believes his father may have been killed by political rivals, though this has not been confirmed by any official investigation. A few years later, his older brother also died. These losses left his mother to raise Rema and his two younger sisters, Anita and Blossom, alone in a low-income community, and the family was reportedly evicted from their apartment and forced to relocate to his mother’s home village for a period, where they lived in more difficult conditions. By age 15, Rema has said he felt compelled to become the “man of the house,” taking on responsibility for supporting his mother and sisters.
Education
Rema attended Ighile Group of Schools in Benin City, Edo State, for both his primary and secondary education. Reports differ on his post-secondary path: some sources describe him enrolling at the University of Lagos to study for a bachelor’s degree around 2022, fulfilling a wish of his mother’s, before dropping out in 2023 amid a nationwide university lecturers’ strike. Given the inconsistency across sources on this point, it should be treated as reported rather than fully confirmed. What is well documented is that Rema’s focus shifted decisively toward music during his teenage years, including a brief period living in Ghana in search of greater opportunity before he returned to Nigeria to pursue music professionally.
How Rema Started His Music Career
Rema began performing in church as a child, an environment he has repeatedly credited as foundational to his development as a vocalist. He started rapping and singing in secondary school under the stage name “Blitz” before adopting the name “Rema” at around age 14. Before launching his solo career, he formed a short-lived duo called RNA with fellow artist Alpha P, performing together in churches around Benin City.
His breakthrough came after he posted a freestyle video, sometimes referred to as his “Gucci Gang” freestyle, on Instagram in 2019. The video caught the attention of D’Prince, a Nigerian artist and record executive and the younger brother of Mavin Records founder Don Jazzy. D’Prince invited Rema to Lagos and signed him to his label, Jonzing World, a subsidiary of Mavin Records, giving him his first real professional platform. Later that year, Rema released his self-titled debut EP, featuring the single “Dumebi,” which quickly went viral and established him as a significant new voice in Nigerian music.
Rema’s Rise to International Fame
Rema’s international trajectory accelerated dramatically with the release of “Calm Down” in February 2022, the lead single from his debut studio album. The song’s smooth, melodic production and hypnotic vocal delivery made it a sleeper hit that built momentum steadily rather than exploding overnight. In 2023, a remix featuring American singer Selena Gomez transformed the song into a global phenomenon, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and leading the Billboard Afrobeats Songs chart for a record-setting 58 weeks. Combined, both versions surpassed one billion streams and became, at the time, the highest-charting African song in Billboard Hot 100 history.
That success carried directly into his debut album, Rave & Roses, released in March 2022, which reached number 81 on the Billboard 200. A deluxe edition, Rave & Roses Ultra, followed in April 2023 and went on to become the first African album to surpass two billion Spotify streams. His momentum continued into 2024 with the release of his second studio album, HEIS, which introduced his self-coined “Afrorave” sound to a wider audience and earned him his first Grammy Award nomination, for Best Global Music Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Rema’s Albums and Music Career
Rema’s catalog centers on two studio albums to date, supported by a companion EP and a steady stream of high-profile singles and collaborations.
- Rave & Roses (2022): His debut studio album, featuring guest appearances from 6lack, Chris Brown, AJ Tracey, and Yseult, and anchored by the breakout single “Calm Down.” The album reached number 81 on the Billboard 200.
- Rave & Roses Ultra (2023): A deluxe edition of his debut, featuring additional tracks including “Holiday” and “Charm,” which became the first African album to surpass two billion Spotify streams.
- Ravage (2023): A five-track companion EP that pushed his sound toward a darker, more confrontational register while retaining his melodic instincts, featuring the single “Don’t Leave.”
- HEIS (2024): His second studio album, an eleven-track project embodying his self-described “Afrorave” style, a fusion of Afrobeats, house, hip-hop, and dancehall. The album featured “Benin Boys” with Shallipopi and “War Machine” with Odumodublvck, reached number two in Nigeria and number seven on Billboard’s World Albums chart, and earned his first Grammy nomination for Best Global Music Album. It also won Album of the Year at the 2025 Trace Awards & Festival.
Rema’s Biggest Songs
A handful of songs mark the clearest turning points in his career. “Dumebi” (2019) remains historically significant as the song that first introduced Rema to Nigerian audiences and demonstrated his melodic instincts as a teenager fresh off his signing to Jonzing World.
“Calm Down” (2022) stands as his defining global hit, and its Selena Gomez remix extended his reach into markets that had never previously engaged with Afrobeats at that scale, becoming one of the most streamed Afrobeats songs of all time. “Soundgasm,” the lead single from Rave & Roses, helped establish the sonic identity he would carry through the album era. More recently, “Baby (Is It a Crime),” released in February 2025 and built around a sample of Sade’s 1985 song “Is It a Crime,” became one of Nigeria’s most-streamed songs of the year, showing his continued ability to generate hits beyond his two studio albums.
Awards and Achievements
Rema earned his first Grammy Award nomination at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, for Best Global Music Album for HEIS. He has won Best International Act at the BET Awards in multiple consecutive years, and took home the MTV Video Music Award for Best Afrobeats Video for the “Calm Down” remix. He has also won Top Afrobeats Song at the Billboard Music Awards, and HEIS was named Album of the Year at the 2025 Trace Awards & Festival.
His commercial milestones function as a parallel achievement record alongside his trophy count: “Calm Down” surpassed one billion combined streams, Rave & Roses Ultra became the first African album to pass two billion Spotify streams, and he has sold out major international venues including London’s O2 Arena. He has been named among Nigeria’s highest-earning young musicians in various industry rankings, reflecting both his streaming dominance and his growing endorsement portfolio.
Rema’s International Influence
Rema is often cited as a leading figure in Afrobeats’ next generation, following the trail blazed by artists like Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy but carving out a sound distinctly his own. His self-coined “Afrorave” style, blending Afrobeats with house, trap, and influences drawn from Arabian and Indian music, has been described by critics as a genuinely novel subgenre rather than a variation on existing Afrobeats conventions, and it has influenced the direction of several younger Nigerian artists who followed him.
His crossover success with “Calm Down” also demonstrated a viable pathway for African artists to reach mainstream Western pop audiences through steady, sleeper-hit momentum rather than a single viral moment, a template that later Afrobeats singles have sought to replicate. Claims that he represents the definitive “next generation” leader of Afrobeats remain a matter of ongoing debate among fans and critics, particularly given the parallel rise of peers like Ayra Starr and Asake, but his commercial and streaming numbers place him firmly among the genre’s most significant young exports.
Rema’s Personal Life
Rema has kept the details of his romantic life largely private. He has been romantically linked in media reports to several women over the years, including singer Justine Skye, South African singer Tyla, fellow Nigerian artist Tems, and Dina Eneje, but he has not publicly confirmed any of these relationships, and they should be treated as speculation rather than fact. As of the most recent reporting, he has not disclosed a confirmed relationship status.
He has spoken candidly in interviews about the lasting emotional impact of losing his father and brother, describing a specific chain he wears featuring portraits of both of them, which he has worn to major public appearances including the Grammy Awards, as a way of carrying their memory with him.
Rema’s Family
Rema’s mother raised him and his two younger sisters, Anita and Blossom Ikubor, alone following the deaths of his father and older brother. He has spoken about his mother’s resilience during their years of financial hardship, and has publicly credited her strength as a defining influence on his character. As a gesture of gratitude once he achieved financial success, he purchased her a Lexus RX 350, and in September 2024 he donated 105 million naira to the Christ Embassy church in Benin City that supported his family during their most difficult years following his father’s death. His sisters have largely remained outside the public eye and away from the entertainment industry.
Rema’s Businesses, Endorsements and Sources of Income
Rema’s income draws primarily from streaming royalties and touring revenue, supplemented by a growing endorsement portfolio. His catalog has surpassed five billion cumulative streams across platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Boomplay, generating a substantial recurring royalty stream. His global recording relationship runs through Jonzing World, Mavin Records, and Interscope Records under Universal Music Group, a deal structure that has been reported in some industry estimates to be worth as much as $200 million in aggregate value to Mavin Records, though this figure describes the label deal broadly rather than Rema’s personal earnings specifically.
He has signed endorsement deals with major international and Nigerian brands, including reported partnerships with Puma, Pepsi, BMW, and Nike. His association with BMW in particular has been reinforced by his single “Beamer (Bad Boys),” for which the BMW Club of Nigeria presented him with a brand recognition award. As with most celebrity income breakdowns, these figures are drawn from industry estimates and public reporting rather than confirmed financial disclosures, and gross revenue from any one source should not be assumed to equal personal profit or net worth.
Rema Net Worth
Rema’s exact net worth is not publicly known. Public estimates vary considerably depending on how different sources calculate his streaming royalties, touring income, endorsement deals, and label arrangements, and because none of these figures are based on audited financial statements or tax records.
Published estimates for 2025 and 2026 show a notably wide range, reflecting how quickly his income has grown since his international breakthrough. Some earlier and more conservative estimates placed his net worth as low as $2.5 million to $9 million, while more recent analyses, factoring in his touring scale, endorsement deals, and label arrangements, estimate his net worth anywhere from $10 million to $22 million. A small number of sources place him even higher, though these figures are less consistently corroborated. Given how much these numbers diverge depending on methodology, they should be read as a general range rather than a settled figure.
Given this spread, a reasonable and cautious estimate places Rema’s net worth somewhere between $10 million and $15 million as of 2026, with the higher end of published ranges reflecting his streaming dominance and expanding endorsement portfolio, though this remains an estimate rather than a confirmed figure.
Rema’s Lifestyle and Assets
Rema has been publicly associated with an extensive car collection, a detail frequently covered in Nigerian entertainment media and confirmed through public appearances and social media posts. His reported vehicles include a McLaren GTS, a Bentley Bentayga, a Lamborghini Urus S, a Mercedes-AMG G63, a Lexus GX 460, and a BMW convertible, in addition to the Lexus RX 350 he purchased for his mother. Detailed and verified information about his real estate holdings is less consistently documented across credible sources, and specific property valuations circulating online should be treated with caution rather than presented as confirmed fact.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Rema’s real name? His birth name is Divine Joshua Ikubor.
How old is Rema? He was born on May 1, 2000, in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.
Where is Rema from? He was born and raised in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, with family roots in Igbanke, Orhionmwon.
What is Rema’s nationality? He is Nigerian.
Who are Rema’s parents? His father was Justice Ikubor, a PDP party chieftain who died in 2008. His mother, whose name has not been widely publicized, raised Rema and his sisters after his father’s death.
When did Rema start his music career? He began performing in church as a child and signed his first record deal with Jonzing World in 2019, the same year he released his breakout single, “Dumebi.”
What is Rema’s most successful song? “Calm Down,” and its remix with Selena Gomez, is his most commercially significant song, becoming one of the most-streamed Afrobeats songs of all time and reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
How many albums does Rema have? He has released two studio albums, Rave & Roses (2022) and HEIS (2024), along with a deluxe edition and a companion EP.
What awards has Rema won? He has won Best International Act at the BET Awards multiple times, an MTV Video Music Award for Best Afrobeats Video, and Album of the Year at the 2025 Trace Awards & Festival, and earned his first Grammy nomination for HEIS at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
What is Rema’s estimated net worth? His exact net worth is not publicly known; published estimates for 2026 range from roughly $10 million to $22 million.
Is Rema married? No. He has not publicly confirmed being in a relationship or engagement as of the most recent reporting.
What genre of music does Rema make? He describes his sound as “Afrorave,” a fusion of Afrobeats with house, hip-hop, dancehall, and Arabian and Indian musical influences.
Conclusion
From performing in churches in Benin City to becoming a Grammy-nominated global star with a self-invented genre, Rema’s career reflects both resilience and reinvention shaped by an unusually difficult childhood. His catalog, from the viral rise of “Dumebi” to the record-breaking global reach of “Calm Down” and the genre-defining ambition of HEIS, shows an artist who has consistently pushed to define his own sound rather than follow established Afrobeats formulas. As one of the genre’s most prominent younger voices, his continued evolution remains closely watched across the African music industry.
Related reading: [Wizkid Biography], [Burna Boy Biography], [Ayra Starr Biography]