Rema Is Not a “One-Hit Wonder”

On February 15, 2026, American chart publication Billboard shared an article link on “The 25 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 21st Century” on its X page. Although initially published in June 2025, the piece was reshared on social media to reflect the corrections made to the list.

The article was premised on musicians who soared on the Hot 100 chart with viral hit records whose impact they have since struggled to replicate. 

Among the artists who made the list are Caribbean stars Kelvyn Lyttle and OMI, whose hit songs ‘Turn Me On’ and ‘Cheerleader’ all reached the Hot 100 top 10. British singer Passenger was also dubbed a one-hit wonder for his inability to replicate the chart success of his international hit ‘Let Her Go.’ There were also several American artists in the list whose peak on the chart has since been a one-off.

Nigerian superstar Rema was also dubbed a “one hit wonder” for failing to match the sensational chart success of his global hit single ‘Calm Down,’ which peaked at NO. 3 on the Hot 100 and became the highest and longest charting Afrobeats song in the chart’s history.

The issue this writer and several Nigerian observers who have been critical of the list have is not merely that one of Africa’s foremost pop stars was being tagged a “one-hit wonder” solely based on his exploits or the lack thereof on an American music chart; it’s also the blatant condescension with which it was done.

While the Billboard article is based on its chart data and the varying impact of the stars on the list, the dubbing of foreign artists as “one hit wonders” because they failed to score another sensational hit record is a curious one.

This writer is not very interested in the question of whether Rema is a “one-hit wonder” as far as the Billboard Hot 100 goes. The important conversation is whether the Hot 100 should be used as a marker to describe foreign stars with such unflattering tags.

The Billboard chart is based solely on commercial impact in America. It takes either a viral global moment that impact that American media space or some elaborate and strategic amplification on US radio for African stars like Rema to make the Hot 100. Both are moments that are few and far between.

‘Calm Down’ is perhaps the most ubiquitous African pop song of the 21st century, and its success translated into its historic chart performance on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023.

Does failing to replicate that level of success or scoring another Hot 100 hit in just two years make him a “one-hit wonder”? Is it reasonable that Rema, a Nigerian superstar, is being judged by the same standard as American stars whose primary audience is what determines the Billboard Hot 100 entries? 

For many Nigerians, the vexation on this issue isn’t only on the curious use of data to label Rema a “one-hit wonder,” it’s also in the blatantly condescending manner in which it was done. The writer went out of their way to not only ridicule the original version of the song, but also talk down on his status as a superstar of global repute.

The write-up not only sought to tag him a “one-hit wonder”, but the tone also aimed to strip him of any sense of pop stardom in the eyes of readers unfamiliar with his hit-making exploits.

When a platform with global reach dubs one of the most important stars in the global exportation of African pop music a “one-hit wonder” solely based on his performance on an American chart, it’s, in this writer’s opinion, a harmful narrative both for Rema and the Afrobeats movement.

Such a narrative should not be rationalised as the perception of a foreign platform, especially when American stars aren’t judged in other industries by similar metrics that attract such unflattering tags.

One thing should be clear: the Billboard Hot 100 is an entirely American affair, and the recent exploits of Nigerian artists on the chart don’t change that. Every Nigerian artist to have scored an entry, whether once or multiple times, is a tourist. It’s why each appearance is a moment because it’s not the norm.

Rema might not have scored another ‘Calm Down’ on the Billboard Hot 100, but that doesn’t make him a “one-hit wonder.” He’s a tourist who enjoyed a great run, and the disappointment of whatever expectations that’s unmet is not his to shoulder. A tourist on the chart cannot be a “one-hit wonder”. Billboard should save the tag for American artists.

Barely 8 months after being tagged a “one-hit wonder,” Rema is visiting the Billboard Hot 100 again courtesy of his stellar contribution on Don Toliver’s ‘Secondhand,’ which debuted at NO 29. This will not be his last visit, and in between these visits, he will continue crafting hit songs that cater to his global fan base. 

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