Nigerian singer Rema has amassed over 400 million total streams on YouTube in the first six months of 2024, with Nigerians contributing only 3.2 percent (12.88 million).

This achievement coincides with his hit song “Calm Down” remix, making history as the first African song to surpass two billion streams on Spotify. The top 10 regions that contributed to Rema’s YouTube views include the USA (59.8 million), India (57.2 million), France (22 million), Brazil (20 million), Colombia (20 million), Mexico (18 million), the UK (16 million), Peru (13 million), Nigeria (12.8) million, and Canada (10.6 million).

This data is from Rema’s stat on X, Rema’s official data page. It reflects the underlying issues of the high cost of data in Sub-Saharan countries, which limits music consumption and discovery, especially in Nigeria.

In a podcast interview with Music Business Worldwide, Warner Music Africa Managing Director Temi Adeniji highlighted this challenge. With only 40 million subscribers across various platforms in the region, market penetration is a mere 3 percent of the population of 1.2 billion.

This low penetration rate makes it difficult for Nigerians to access and stream music. However, despite these challenges, data reveals a surprising trend. With 7.6 million streams, Lagos boasts a higher streaming count than any city in the US, including New York, which leads US cities with 4.8 million streams. This finding underscores the potential for music consumption in Nigeria.

‘Calm Down’ has garnered numerous accolades, including nominations for Song of The Year, Best Collaboration, and Pop Song Of The Year at the iHeart Radio Music Awards 2024. It also won the inaugural Best Afrobeats Song at the MTV VMA Awards.

Commercially, the song has achieved outstanding success, charting at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and setting a record as the lengthiest-charting African song of all time on the Billboard Hot 100 with an impressive 57-week run.