Calm Down (Rema song)
2022 single by Rema
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"Calm Down" is a song by Nigerian singer Rema, from his debut studio album Rave & Roses (2022). It was released on 11 February 2022 through Jonzing World, Mavin, and Interscope Records as the album's second single. The song charted across Europe, reaching number one on the Belgian Ultratop 50, Dutch Top 40 and Dutch Single Top 100. In the United Kingdom, "Calm Down" peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart and spent 27 non-consecutive weeks in the top ten of the chart.
- 3:40
- 3:59 (remix)
- Mavin
- Jonzing World
- Interscope
- SMG Music LLC (remix)
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| Single by Rema | ||||
| from the album Rave & Roses | ||||
| Released | 11 February 2022 | |||
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A remix of "Calm Down" with American singer Selena Gomez was released on 25 August 2022. The new version reached number one on both the Billboard US Afrobeats Songs and the Billboard Global Excl. US charts, and peaked at number three on the Global 200 chart. It peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, marking Rema's first top-ten hit and Gomez's ninth. It also led the U.S. Afrobeats Songs for a record-setting 58 weeks. In the US, it topped the all-genre Radio Songs chart for ten weeks, becoming both artists' first number-one song on the chart. It reached number one on the Canadian Hot 100 chart dated 13 May 2023. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the remix was the second best-selling global single of 2023, earning 1.89 billion subscription streams equivalents globally. The song is widely regarded as the biggest and most successful Afrobeats song of all time.[2][3][4][5][6] A music video for the remix was released on Gomez's YouTube channel on 7 September 2022 and hit the 1 billion views mark on 8 November 2024, becoming Rema's first and Gomez's third song to hit the milestone.[7]
Release
Writing and composition
"Calm Down" is all about the events that led me to finding love at the time. It started at a party where I saw a girl who stood out from other girls so I felt like shooting my shot. We spoke and danced... but her friends didn't let me get any closer which killed the vibe, but afterwards when they weren't there, we stayed in touch and hit it off.
Miami-based Amanda Ibanez, who also goes by her stage name Kiddo AI, was asked by Interscope senior director of A&R Vanessa Angiuli to write a spec verse for Selena Gomez on the song. Ibanez quickly wrote and recorded two different possible options for a Selena verse. Within a few hours of sending them to Angiuli, Ibanez received a response back from Angiuli who told her that Gomez loved the verse. Within the next few weeks, Ibanez and Gomez began to trade ideas back and forth and refine the verse. Ibanez eventually flew to Los Angeles to complete the song after a request to have more of Gomez on the song.[11]
Like most girls my age, I grew up watching Selena on Wizards of Waverly Place and always admired her demeanor of being so classy and collected. So the first line is, 'I know I look shy, but for you I get down,' and I thought that that would be kind of fun for her to say, because she's so proper, I feel, from the outside. I just wanted her to feel herself a little bit.
— Amanda Ibanez on channeling Gomez to write her verse, [11]
The song was described as a "vibey"[12] "feelgood smash hit".[13] Reviewing the remix, Vanguard writer Adegboyega Remmy Adeleye thought Gomez' "melodic tune complements Rema's vibe perfectly, maintaining the same energy as the original release".[14]
The song is recorded in the key of B major with a tempo of 107 beats per minute in common time. It follows a chord progression of E–B, and the vocals span from D♯4 to F♯5.[15]
Critical reception
Naming the song one of the best of 2022, Rolling Stone said "Rema likes to call his spin on the Afrobeats sound "Afro-rave," and it is sublimely lovely all the same. He is the kind of singer who savors simple pop pleasures; with a track that's appropriately warm, bright, and captivating. The big-eyed wonder in his voice makes it sound like he's the first guy ever to behold the majesty of girls or colors."[16] Billboard said the song is organic, and its slow burn is further underscoring Afrobeats' increasing mainstream popularity, while naming it the 10th best song of 2023.[17]
Accolades
Awards and nominations
| Organization | Year | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Africa Music Awards | 2023 | Best Male Artiste in Western Africa (Rema for "Calm Down") |
Nominated | [18] |
| Song of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Brit Awards | 2024 | International Song of the Year | Nominated | [19] |
| The Headies | 2023 | Song of the Year | Nominated | [20] |
| Best Music Video | Won | |||
| LOS40 Music Awards | 2023 | Best International Song | Nominated | [21] |
| NRJ Music Awards | 2022 | International Song of the Year | Nominated | [22] |
| Soundcity MVP Awards | 2023 | Listener's Choice | Nominated | [23] |
| Viewers' Choice | Nominated | |||
| Best Pop | Nominated | |||
| Video of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Swiss Music Awards | 2024 | Best Hit International | Nominated | [24] |
| Organization | Year | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African Entertainment Awards USA | 2022 | Best Music Video | Nominated | [25] |
| 2023 | Song of the Year | Won | [26] | |
| African Muzik Magazine Awards | 2023 | Best Collaboration | Nominated | [27] |
| Anghami Year in Music | 2022 | Top International Song | Won | [28] |
| 2023 | Won | [29] | ||
| ASCAP London Awards | 2024 | Song of the Year | Won | [30] |
| Top Streaming Song | Won | |||
| ASCAP Pop Music Awards | 2024 | Song of the Year | Won | [31] |
| ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards | 2024 | Winning R&B/Hip-Hop & Rap Songs | Won | [32] |
| Billboard Music Awards | 2023 | Top Radio Song | Nominated | [33] |
| Top Collaboration | Nominated | |||
| Top Billboard Global 200 Song | Nominated | |||
| Top Billboard Global (Excl. U.S.) Song | Nominated | |||
| Top Afrobeats Song | Won | |||
| Global Awards | 2023 | Best Social Trended Song | Nominated | [34] |
| Hit FM Music Awards (China)[b] | 2024 | Collaboration of the Year | Won | [36] |
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2023 | Best Music Video | Nominated | [37] |
| 2024 | Song of the Year | Nominated | [38] | |
| Pop Song of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Best Collaboration | Won | |||
| Kora Awards | 2024 | Best Collaboration of the Year | Pending | [39] |
| MTV Europe Music Awards | 2023 | Best Song | Nominated | [40] |
| Best Collaboration | Nominated | |||
| MTV Video Music Awards | 2023 | Song of the Year | Nominated | [41] |
| Best Collaboration | Nominated | |||
| Best Afrobeats | Won | |||
| MTV Video Play Awards | 2023 | Winning Video | Won | [42] |
| NRJ Music Award | 2022 | International Collaboration of the Year | Nominated | [43] |
| Spotify Plaques | 2023 | One Billion Streams Award | Won | [44] |
| Trace Awards & Festival | 2023 | Song of the Year | Won | [45] |
Records
| Category | Year | Record | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guinness World Records | 2022 | First No.1 hit on The Official MENA Chart | [46] |
| 2023 | Most weeks at No.1 on The Official MENA Chart | [47] |
| Category | Year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Longest-running song atop the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart[c] | 2023 | [48] |
| First song to top both the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart and Billboard's Pop Airplay chart in history | [49] | |
| Highest-charting hit from an Afrobeats lead artist in Billboard Hot 100 history[d] | [50] | |
| First African artist-led track hit one billion streams on Spotify | [51] | |
| First song in history to spend one year on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart | [52] | |
| First song in history to spend one year at number one on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart | ||
| First Afrobeats song to reach No. 1 on Radio Songs | [53] | |
| Longest-charting African song on the Billboard Hot 100[e] | [54] | |
| First African song in history to spend an entire year on the Billboard Hot 100 | [55] | |
| Most-streamed Afrobeats song on Spotify history[f] | [54] | |
| Most-watched music video by a Nigerian artist on YouTube[g] | ||
| Most Weeks Ever on Pop Airplay Chart[h] | 2024 | [56] |
| Most Weeks Logged in the Pop Airplay Top-10 in History[i] |
Lists
Charts
Original version
Weekly charts |
Year-end charts
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Selena Gomez remix
Weekly charts |
Monthly charts
Year-end charts
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Certifications
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Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Version | Label(s) | Ref. |
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| United States | 6 September 2022 | Contemporary hit radio | Remix | Interscope | [247] |
Notes
- Selena Gomez, Amanda Ibanez, and Alexandre Uwaifo are credited as songwriters on the remix version.
- With 58 weeks at number one.
- The song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
- The song spent 57 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.
- With over 1.8 billion streams on Spotify.
- With over 1.3 Billion views on Youtube.
- with 64 weeks as the longest Pop Airplay stay.
- with 45 weeks as the most weeks logged in the Pop Airplay top ten.