Afrobeats Unlimited — Did Somebody Say “No Way” for Norway? Calm Down!
Over the years, the Nigerian music industry has become the West African country’s largest export to the world. The Afrobeat genre is credited with this industry’s success.
Norway’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Svein Baera, has taken a special liking to Nigeria’s Afrobeat star, Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema. “My favourite is Rema,” the diplomat said in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES when asked who his favourite Afrobeat musician is.
Mr Baera said the ‘Ozeba’ crooner captured his heart before he resumed duty as ambassador to Nigeria.
“I was sitting back home in Norway listening to this music, and I came across this song by Rema called Charm,” he said, adding that he likes the mood of the song and enjoys it more when it is played with a saxophone.
According to Mr Svein, like many Norwegians, Afrobeat was one of the first things he heard about Nigeria when he was considering applying to be an ambassador.
“I know that several artists from Nigeria have been invited to play at music festivals in Norway over the last few years. So Norway, like the rest of the world, is taking Afrobeat to its chest and we love it,” he noted.
Rema rose to global recognition in 2022 with the hit song “Calm Down” which he remixed featuring Selena Gomez. It became the first African song to spend a year on the Billboard Hot 100.
The 25-year-old has tagged his version of Afrobeat Afro-rave, blending Afrobeats, dancehall, R&B, hip hop, and house sounds. His unique sound endears him to music lovers, especially young people.
Originally published at https://www.premiumtimesng.com on February 23, 2025.
