Divine Ikubor, professionally known as Rema, is in the country set to headline MNE Fest, a festival that describes its mission as to ‘convene Music, Tech and the Culture’ at Carnivore Grounds on Saturday, May 7.
The show will be a part of his current world tour that is in support of his new album dubbed Rave and Roses. The album has solidified the 21-year-old as one of the latest Nigerian greats, spawning hits like Soundgasm, Bounce and Calm Down, all of which have made remarkable chart appearances, thanks to Mavin Records signee’s undeniable talent and edgy music sound.
Speaking of his music style, he refers to it as ‘Afrorave,’ a subgenre of Afrobeats that bears influences from Indian and Arabian music. One of the songs on the sophomore album, ‘Bounce,’ is a fan-favorite and a hit with revelers. The video to sees him deviate from his typical direction to an even edgier one. “The video is Mad Max-inspired and saw me step out of my shell and do something beyond the obvious and I am glad I did,” He says of the song.
Rema, who speaks highly of Mavin Records and Don Jazzy, says he listened from Camp Mulla member and now-solo star Karun’s music shortly after arriving in his hotel room and was blown away. “I had never had music like that before. I was obsessed as soon as I listened to the first song and I ended up listening to a lot of her material. I want to work with her. Her sound is one of its kind,” He spoke of the singer.
On his Saturday performance: “This will be my second time perfoming in Kenya. Come and let’s party,” He adds, promising it will bring Nairobi to a standstill.
Rema has worked with big names like Chris Brown, Black and AJ Tracey. Once he wraps the African leg of his tour, he will head to North America to play shows in Seattle, Philadelphia, Dallas and Boston, among other places.
