Remi (band)
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Remi | |
|---|---|
 Remi Kolawole in December 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Genres | Australian hip hop |
| Years active | 2011–2021 |
| Labels |
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| Past members |
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| Website | remikolawole |
Remi (stylised in all caps) was an Australian hip hop duo consisting of rapper Remi Kolawole and producer Justin "Sensible J" Smith.[1] Originally a trio, which included producer-engineer Daniel "Dutch" Siwes, the group released four full-length albums as well as two mix-tapes and four extended plays (EPs). Remi's 2014 release Raw x Infinity garnered critical acclaim, winning the Australian Music Prize, while its third album Divas & Demons (2016)—Remi's first as a duo—was nominated for the 2017 ARIA Award for Best Urban Album. The act's final album, Fried (May 2021), coincided with the dissolution of Remi.
Remi was formed in Melbourne as a three-piece by Aderemi Matthew "Remi" Kolawole on lead vocals, Daniel James "Dutch" Siwes on co-production and engineering and Justin Scott "Sensible J" Smith on drums and production.[2][3][4] Kolawole was born in Canberra to a Tasmanian mother and Nigerian father.[5] He took classical piano lessons while growing up and started rapping on a dare from a friend.[5] Siwes and Smith were neighbours and jammed in various bands in the late 1990s.[5] The pair mentored Kolawole early in his solo career.[5]
The trio's first recordings appeared in 2011, "Apollo 13" and "Ape", as free downloads through Kolawole's Bandcamp page.[6] "Ape" was also the lead single from Remi's first album, Regular People Shit, which was self-released via House of Beige in 2012.[7] "Ape" received high rotation on national youth radio station, Triple J. Remi's 2013 singles, "Sangria" and "Saggin" from the trio's mix-tape F.Y.G. Act 1, also gained consistent radio airplay,[8] contributing to Remi winning that year's Triple J Unearthed Artist of the Year award.[9]
The trio's second album, Raw x Infinity, was released in June 2014 to critical acclaim. Backed by the singles "Livin" and "Tyson"—the latter a boastful nod to boxer Mike Tyson—the release was nominated for Australian Album of the Year in the J Awards of 2014.[10] In March 2015, Remi was awarded the coveted $30,000 Australian Music Prize for Raw x Infinity, adding to the record's growing list of accolades.[11][12]
Slimming to a duo in 2016, Kolawole and Smith released Divas & Demons, Remi's third album, which peaked in the top 10 of the ARIA Charts.[13] The following year, the record was nominated for the 2017 ARIA Award for Best Urban Album.[14][15]
The duo's final album, Fried, was released in May 2021 after being postponed for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[16] The pair also announced their split during the week of the album's release.[14][17]