Rema beats Wizkid, Davido, Burnaboy to win first-ever Best Afrobeats MTV VMAs Award

By Sola Omoniyi, Lagos

Rema and Selena Gomez’s collaboration ‘Calm Down’ has made history by winning the prestigious Best Afrobeats award at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs),

The star-studded event took place on Tuesday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, celebrating the exceptional musical talents that have graced the global stage.

Rema and Selena Gomez’s ‘Calm Down’ had already made waves by earning three nominations in the categories of Best Collaboration, Song of the Year, and Best Afrobeats.

However, it was in the Best Afrobeats category that this remarkable duo left an indelible mark, making history as the inaugural winners in this newly established category.

Rema’s ‘Calm Down,’ was nominated alongside Burna Boy’s ‘It’s Plenty,’ Davido feat Musa Key’s ‘Unavailable,’ Ayra Starr’s ‘Rush,’ Libianca’s ‘People,’ Wizkid feat Ayrra Starr’s ‘2 Sugar,’ and Fireboy DML’s ‘Bandana.

The track ‘Calm Down,’ which was originally released on August 25, 2022, garnered attention for its unique fusion of Afrobeats and pop elements.