Forgetting “Calm Down”: The Rema Discography That Billboard Ignored

A Billboard article published in June 2025 has resurfaced this week, placing Rema at No. 6 on a list of artists framed as one-hit wonders. The ranking leaned heavily on performance on the Billboard Hot 100, where Rema’s Selena Gomez-assisted “Calm Down” peaked at No. 3, and noted that he has not returned to that chart since.

Billboard wrote:

“The No. 3-peaking ‘Calm Down’ was obviously not veteran pop superstar Gomez’s only hit, but Rema has yet to make it to the Hot 100 again, although he has landed six top 10s on U.S. Afrobeats Songs, through the June 7, 2025, chart.”

By that metric, the classification is understandable. But the question many have raised is whether a U.S.-centric chart should be the sole yardstick for measuring global success, especially for African artists whose core markets span multiple continents.

The broader data tells a better story.

At the end of 2025, Rema surpassed 5.6 billion streams across all credits on Spotify. That is the total catalogue volume, not a single-song spike.

On YouTube, he finished 2025 as the most-streamed Nigerian artist globally with 868 million views, marking his third consecutive year at the top.

One-hit wonders rarely sustain multi-platform dominance across several years. Sustained streaming volume suggests repeat listening, catalogue depth, and global audience retention.

Outside of “Calm Down,” several records in Rema’s catalogue have posted strong numbers across regions:

• Dumebi (2019): His breakout single has accumulated over 179 million Spotify streams. It was certified Gold in France in 2021 after surpassing 15 million streams in the region.
  

• Soundgasm (2021): The track has crossed 200 million Spotify streams and earned Silver certification in the UK for over 200,000 units sold.
  

• Charm (2023): Certified Platinum in France for exceeding 30 million streams, and Silver in the UK. It peaked at No. 77 on the French SNEP chart and No. 11 on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart. The song has surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify and over 100 million views on YouTube.
  

• Baby (Is It a Crime) (2025): Released in February 2025, the Sade-sampling record topped Spotify’s Global Impact List as the most-exported Nigerian song early in the year. It crossed 90 million Spotify streams and became the first Nigerian song to chart in over 70 countries on Apple Music within 10 months.
  

• FUN (2025): Spent six consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Official Nigeria Top 100, becoming his longest-running domestic chart-topper. It reached No. 5 on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart and surpassed 50 million Spotify streams.
  

• Secondhand (2026) with Don Toliver: On February 7, 2026, Billboard listed it at No. 5 on Hot Rap Songs. By February 11, it debuted at No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking another entry into the chart previously cited as absent.

Rema’s 2022 debut album, ‘Rave & Roses’, has had one of the longest chart runs by an African project in Billboard history.

The album charted 10 songs on the U.S. Billboard Afrobeats Chart in its debut week. It later became the first African album to surpass 3 billion streams on Spotify, aided by its expanded Ultra version.

Most notably, ‘Rave & Roses’ holds the record as the longest-charting African album on the U.S. Billboard World Albums chart, spending 170 weeks on the tally. That is more than three years of chart presence.

Albums with multi-year lifespans point to catalogue strength, not a single breakout moment.

Rema earned his first Grammy nomination at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in early 2025. His sophomore album ‘HEIS’ was nominated for Best Global Music Album, with critics highlighting its experimentation and range.

Recognition at that level typically reflects body-of-work impact rather than one isolated hit.

The Billboard classification rests on Hot 100 appearances. That is a measurable, clear standard when considered in context. However, when streaming totals, international certifications, long-running albums, and multi-chart entries are factored in, the profile becomes more complex and unfairly boxed in.

One-hit wonders are often defined as brief flashes, artists whose visibility fades after a breakout single.

Rema’s numbers show sustained growth, cross-market penetration, and catalogue depth across several years.

The charts merely offer a one-sided view, while his full discography offers something broader.

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