The fact that Rema of Mavin has come to take over the ever-dynamic Africa’s music industry is not disputable. He’s a talented young promising act that has already been in the playlists of the men of worth in the world, of which former United States President; Barrack Obama is one, amongst many.
Who is Rema by the way? Divine Ikubor popularly Rema was born on 1 May, 2000 into a Christian family in Edo State, Nigeria. He came to limelight after being discovered on Instagram by Donjazzy’s brother; D’Prince in 2018 after posting a viral cover video of D’Prince’s song “Gucci Gang”. Signed to Jonzing World owned by D’Prince and Mavin Records, Rema released his first official single; “Iron Man” from the EP; ‘Rema’ and the uniqueness of the song made it spread like wildfire.
In this article, I will be showing upcoming artistes five things they can learn from Rema. Do not look at his age, but his grace and skills. If Wizkid can attain so many heights before 2Baba who was in the industry before him, then there’s no one we can’t learn from. Below are the five tricks upcoming artistes can learn from the mega star; Rema.
1. He’s Original
When the topic of originality comes, I always want artistes to take it seriously. Rema is original in the sense that he has his own style of music defined to suit him after realizing how difficult it is to break into the industry. Critical analysis of his first single will make you understand that he deliberately blended the fusion of Indian’s style of music with Afro pop just to create an original style that will be different from what is already obtainable in the industry. It is true that he didn’t continue with the style because he understands how difficult that will be for his fans to vibe to the tonal combination of Indian music and Afromusic. Yet, he still stands out in his own delivery of Afro pop and trap music, still blending Fuji to it.
2. He Understands the Market
We all can’t deny that the biggest music entrepreneur in Africa; Don Jazzy is the one behind the coaching of Rema, so no least is expected. But be reminded that it is one thing to drag horse to the river and another to force it drink water. Rema yields himself to Don Jazzy’s coach of the understanding of the music market. So, as an upcoming artiste, you are to understand your audience and what seems to be their interest. With that you should dance to the tune of the request. Rema knows that his fanbase are young people with utmost enthusiasm for fun and dance, so he gives that. When you understand your audience and what the industry wants, you can’t do otherwise than to commercialize your music, which is what the young man is doing.
3. He’s Unique
It is no lies when critics say Rema sounds like Wizkid. He himself understands this fact and that’s why he stormed the industry with a fusion of Indian and Afro pop. With that, before the release of his second single; Dumebi, which made the voice texture more visible, he made himself unique at first and that was what made him standout.
So, upcoming should understand that trying to sound like an existing singer is never an easy task because you will hardly stay at the top of your game. Jo El that often sounds like 2Face has been relegated to the background. Make sure you are unique.
4. He’s Dynamic
Dynamism comes when he can switch from Nigerian market to American market. Afrobeat as you already know is Nigerian market, Trap music is American. He’s combining the two in order to gain relevance in those two major places of the world and he’s taking over those places gradually. If you can be listened to in Lagos Nigeria, America, then you can command any audience anywhere else in the world. So, you also learn to be versatile, be able to change from one style to the other while you still maintain your originality.
5. He’s Simple
He doesn’t choose a complicated topic in his songs. He tries to be as simple as possible, yet, he’s as melodious as possible. Ranging from Iron Man, Dumebi, Beamer, Colorado, Woman and Ginger Me (in no particular order) you can sense how simple those songs are. They are simply love songs which are danceable and relatable.
As an upcoming artiste, do not underestimate the power of learning from the existing artistes, because that way you can study the lapses and the vacuum that needs to be filled and when the opportunity comes, boom! You are up. We in naija-best wish you just the beat in your music career. Thanks for your time.
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