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Calm Down (Rema song)
Calm Down (Rema song)
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Calm Down (Rema song)

"Calm Down"
Single by Rema
from the album Rave & Roses
Released11 February 2022 (2022-02-11)
GenreAfrobeats[1]
Length
  • 3:40
  • 3:59 (remix)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Rema singles chronology
"Soundgasm"
(2021) 		"Calm Down"
(2022) 		"FYN"
(2022)
Selena Gomez singles chronology
"Let Somebody Go"
(2022) 		"Calm Down" (Remix)
(2022) 		"My Mind & Me"
(2022)
Music video

"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.

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 September 7, 2022 and hit the 1 billion views mark on November 8, 2024, becoming Rema's first and Gomez's third song to hit the milestone.[7]

Release

[edit]

On 17 August 2022, Selena Gomez posted a photo of herself and Rema on her social media, captioning it "come soon".[8] The remix was released a week later.[9]

Writing and composition

[edit]

"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.

— Rema on how the song came about, Pitchfork[10]

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

[edit]

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 it's slow burn is further underscoring Afrobeats' increasing mainstream popularity, while naming it the 10th best song of 2023.[17]

Accolades

[edit]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Awards and nominations for "Calm Down"
Organization Year Category Result Ref.
All Africa Music Awards 2023 Best Male Artiste in Western Africa 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]
Awards and nominations for "Calm Down" (remix with Selena Gomez)
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

[edit]
Records achieved by "Calm Down"
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]
Records achieved by "Calm Down" (remix with Selena Gomez)
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

[edit]
Name of publisher, name of listicle, year(s) listed, and placement result
Publisher Listicle Year(s) Result Ref.
Billboard Billboard's 100 Best Songs 2023 10th [57]

Charts

[edit]

Original version

[edit]

Selena Gomez remix

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
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