Nigerian Afrobeats sensation Rema has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first African artist to be featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine’s special report, “The Future of Music 2025”.
The globally recognised music magazine highlights emerging and influential artists shaping the industry’s future.
Rema, born Divine Ikubor, is one of four cover artists for the “Future of Music 2025” edition, sharing the digital cover with rising stars Benson Boone, Ivan Cornejo, and Megan Moroney.
While, his inclusion in the prestigious feature highlights his remarkable journey from a teenage breakout star to a globally recognised musician, it was his 2022 smash hit “Calm Down”, particularly its remix featuring Selena Gomez, that catapulted him to international prominence.
The song became one of the longest-charting Afrobeats songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a record-breaking 58 weeks. It also catapulted Rema to the Billion Spotify streams club.
As part of the cover, Rema also performed at Rolling Stone’s “Future of Music” concert during the renowned South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas.
During the media campaign, Rema expressed gratitude for the opportunity to represent African music on such a prestigious platform.
“It is a great honour! I feel blessed and I know for the kids who are home who look up to me, they’re proud,” he said about being featured on the cover.
“I am proud to be here, not just representing myself but also representing them. Being a young youth from Benin City Nigeria,” he added.
Rema isn’t the first African to feature on “The Future of Music” list. In 2024, fellow Nigerian artist Omah Lay was recognised in the prestigious lineup, further highlighting Nigeria’s growing influence on the global music stage.
