The news of Nigerian rapper and singer, Divine Ibukor, popularly known as Rema’s record-breaking performance fee at Anant Ambani’s wedding has sent shockwaves across social media, with many users hailing music as a lucrative career path.
The Nigerian Afrobeats sensation reportedly pocketed a whopping N4.5 billion ($3m) for performing just one of his hit songs, ‘Calm Down’, at the high-profile event, leaving many in awe.
Rema performed at the wedding of Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani’s son, Anant Ambani; and daughter of pharma tycoons, Viren and Shaila Merchant, Radhika Merchant.
The event held on Friday at the Jio World Centre in Bandra Kurla Centre in Mumbai.
Canadian singer, Justin Bieber, was also paid $10 million for his performance at the event, according to reports.
Pop star, Rihanna, also performed at the event for an undisclosed fee.
Rema performed his global his hit ‘Calm Down’ at the event, earning him the substantial fee, according to the Hindustan Times.
The Nigerian singer is among several high-profile artists that performed at the wedding, on July 12 at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex.
The couple had their roka ceremony in 2022, followed by an engagement in 2023.
This year, they had a pre-wedding ceremony in Jamnagar, which was also attended by Ram Charan and Upasana, apart from celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, and others. Rihanna performed at the festivities.
They had another pre-wedding bash at a luxury cruise, where Katy Perry performed. The wedding ceremony is called the Shubh Vivah, followed by Shubh Aashirwad and Mangal Utsav on July 13 and 14 respectively.
Rema gained initial recognition with the release of his 2019 song Dumebi. That same year, he signed with D’Prince’s record label, Jonzing World. He received wider recognition for his 2022 single Calm Down.
Meanwhile, social media platforms are buzzing with excitement as aspiring musicians and music enthusiasts alike draw inspiration from Rema’s achievement.
Anant tied the knot with Radhika Merchant, his long-time girlfriend, on Friday, at the Jio World Centre in Bandra Kurla Centre in Mumbai.
In a now-viral video, Rema is seen delivering an exhilarating performance of his 2022 hit song to the excitement of the wedding attendees who cheered him on.
Released on February 11, 2022, ‘Calm Down’ has earned massive numbers on streaming services and broken records.
A critically acclaimed remix of the song with Selena Gomez, the American singer, also followed suit on August 25, 2022.
In April 2023, ‘Calm Down’ became India’s second longest-charting African song at No. 1.
It was reported that Rema charged the couple $3 million to perform the song at the wedding.
Mukesh is the richest man in Asia and one of the wealthiest men in the world. His son’s wedding is estimated to cost upwards of $600 million.
Notable guests who attended the event include Kim Kardashian; former UK Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Tony Blair; and Stephen Harper, former Canadian prime minister.
Rema has established himself as a prominent name in the African music industry, with numerous awards and honorary mentions.
The news has also sparked a renewed interest in the music industry, with many youths seeing Rema’s success as a motivation to pursue their own careers.
@Solomon_King says on X, “Hold up, let us get this straight, Rema just bagged a whopping N4.5 billion ($3 million) for singing one song at some rich kid’s wedding?!
“One song? We’re talking about a sum that could solve Nigeria’s economic problems, okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but you get the point.
“Rema just made more money than I’ll see in a lifetime and I’m still struggling to pay my rent.
“I need to start singing.”
@OlamideAngel said, “I’m quitting my job to become a musician, or maybe just a wedding singer.
“We’re dying over here! Meanwhile, Rema’s just over here living his best life and we’re not hating. In fact, we’re low-key inspired to step up our music game.
“On a more serious note, this achievement is a testament to Rema’s hard work and talent. We’re proud to see African artistes making waves and getting the recognition they deserve.”
@Perryblack, an X user, said, “Back then y’all mocked Rema for sounding “Indian” when he broke out. Now he was paid $3m to perform a song at Anant-Radhika’s wedding in India.
“Trust your music, Trust the process. Maybe I will go with Portable that said music money is bigger and better than football money.
“We thought Rema was goofing when he said he’s the future. He said he’s the next wizkid but we are not taking him seriously. Big ups boy.”
According to @blacktribemusic, “ Only this Rema’s song alone has made him one of the biggest artistes in Africa. Bigger than the top guys una dey reason self.
“Rema is too big to be underrated by Nigerians, he’s just 22 but making more money.
“Another day to remind y’all that music money is longer than football own.”
On the contrary, @cassandra mentioned that the billionaire should have used the money to feed all the poor Indian citizens.
“That country dey suffer, why can’t he donate this money to the poor. Isn’t India one of the poorest countries in the world?
“I swear the billionaires don’t think of the poor chaii!
“Just $1k is enough for like 1 million people and they will appreciate it and pray for you, it is more than all this show off,” she said.
Also, @UcheMark said, “They all belong to the same cult. Even from the beginning of Rema’s career, we can already recognise his affiliation with India (voodoo).
“Also, his recent use of devilish symbols and colours is enough evidence. Birds of a feather.”
@chocolatechic said, “I will never be poor.”
