‘I’m delighted to serve,’ Rema says after winning three prizes at the 16th Headies.

Rema, the Afrobeats singer, says he is ‘happy to serve’ after being ‘celebrated by his people’ at the 16th Headies prizes, where he took home three prizes.

“Honoured to be celebrated by my people, as a soldier of the course I’m glad to serve,” the singer said on his X (previously known as Twitter) handle on Monday evening. Let us now return to work.”

The event, titled ‘Celebrating African Renaissance,’ acknowledges the greatest in Afrobeats and African music and highlights the originality of Pan-African talent.

Rema was named ‘Best Male Artiste,’ ‘Digital Artiste Of The Year,’ and ‘African Artiste Of The Year’ at the 2023 Headies, which took place on Sunday, September 4, 2023, at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta.

He also accepted the prize for ‘Best Music Video’ for his hit song ‘Calm Down’ on behalf of Director K.

Furthermore, Selena Gomez, who worked with Rema on the global hit “Calm Down,” was named International Artiste of the Year, and Director K, who directed the music video for the “Calm Down” remix, was named Best Music Video.

Rema also delivered a powerful speech at the 16th Headies Awards, urging Nigerian artists to defend the “institutions that propel them to international success.”

The 23-year-old musician gave an uplifting statement about Nigerian music and Afrobeats.

In his motivational statement at the award ceremony, the renowned singer urged industry leaders to defend Afrobeats, emphasising that the industry risks losing its reputation if the ecosystem is abandoned in pursuit of personal triumph.

Rema also emphasised the need of supporting the Nigerian music business, claiming that even fans are hesitant to pay for tickets to Nigerian music shows because they are worried whether the artistes will perform.

Fans praised Rema’s amazing speech for being perceptive and bold, as it echoed the sentiments of fans and stakeholders back home.

Rema won Male Artiste of the Year at the 16th Headies Awards, beating out Asake, Kizz Daniel, Ruger, Omah Lay, and Burna Boy.

He also received the Digital Artist of the Year Award and gave another fantastic speech.

“I remember 2019, when I stepped on stage and said ‘I’m the future,’ I hope nobody still doubts?” Rema added. “I told them,” as Burna Boy put it.”

He thanked his record label president D-Prince and Mavin record boss Don Jazzy for their contributions to his achievement, and he also thanked his devoted fans for their enduring love and support.

He also thanked his hometown of ‘Benin City’ for grooming him to become a global sensation.

Rema has had an incredible year, and the recent honours add to the variety of accomplishments, breakthrough records, and milestones he has achieved in the last year.

His smash song ‘Calm Down,’ starring Selena Gomez, peaked at an amazing No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 2023, making it the highest-peaking Nigerian song on the list.

‘Calm Down’ is the first song in history to stay a full year (52 weeks) on the Billboard US Afrobeats Songs list.

Similarly, the remix video has received 619 million views on YouTube to far.

The successful tune also holds the record for the most-viewed Nigerian music video on YouTube, with 523 million views to date.

Honored to be celebrated by my people, as a soldier of the course I’m glad to serve. Now let’s get back to work 🫡🇳🇬 @The_Headies pic.twitter.com/vBjzT7XluJ

— REMA (@heisrema) September 4, 2023