Nigerian singer Divine Ikubor, known as Rema, will be performing his first India tour on May 12-14 and in this interview, he talks about his love for Indian music and being a Bollywood fan
Nigerian singer Divine Ikubor, known as Rema, will be performing his first India tour on May 12-14. The 3-day India tour of the Calm Down hitmaker will start from Delhi and will move to Mumbai and Hyderabad. Apart from performing the Oscar-winning original track Naatu Naatu from SS Rajamouli's blockbuster RRR, Rema also wishes to collaborate with Indian stars like Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan along with working with Badshah and AR Rahman
He spoke to the writer about his love for Indian music and more in this interview. Excerpts:
Q) This is your first-ever tour to India, how does it feel and what have you heard about the country?
I’m loving every moment of it. I love all the excitement and positivity around the visit. I feel happy and honoured. Indian culture is as amazing as the people. I had the warmest welcome in Mumbai and I can’t wait to see New Delhi and Hyderabad
Q) What do you feel about Calm Down being a massive hit in India and all across the world? How did the track come about?
I was at a party, and a couple of girls walked in, and I spotted a girl in yellow. I wanted to talk to her and her friends were being really stuck up. They didn’t really want to chat. And I was like, “hey, just calm down. Let’s talk.” And then she actually calmed down, and we started chatting and dancing. When she left the party, she was on my mind, and I wanted to see her again. That was it. I walked in the studio fresh out of that emotion and wrote the track
Q) Tell us something about your collaboration with Selena Gomez?
Selena is very amazing. While working on this song, we got on a video call before meeting each other. She came to my show and it was a very healthy and beautiful relationship. Working on the song was very easy, very simple. She was very communicative about it, keen on the idea of this song, wanted to make sure that she complimented my verse. Her voice is just perfect and she is a beautiful soul into music. I am really happy.
Q) What are your thoughts on Indian music and musicians?
Indian music has very emotional vocals and I can keep listening to it. I’ve been playing a lot of Indian music since I landed in Mumbai
Q) How do you see your music contributing to the preservation and promotion of African culture on a global scale?
As an artist, it’s very important because. Music is a way to express our culture and it’s just the fastest way. And being in an industry that has global attention right now is a great honour to represent my people and country. It’s a great moment of pride when I see different people from around the world dancing to foreign language that belongs to Nigeria. I believe in representation and flying the flag of my country high across the world! I feel like before I started getting global fame, my fellow Africans have been my huge propeller. They’re the ones who took me to the world and I owe it to them
Q) Any upcoming collaborations with Indian artists?
I’d love to collaborate with Badshah and AR Rahman. These two are my most favourites. I really look forward to exploring more and more opportunities here in India. I’d love to do a Bollywood film with Shahrukh or Salman Khan too!