Nigerian singer Divine Ikubor, aka Rema, has explained his decision to change his sound for his recently-released sophomore album, ‘HeIs.’
In a recent interview with Apple Music, the ‘Calm Down’ singer stated that he decided to “switch it up” because afrobeats was becoming monotonous.
Rema expressed concern that Nigerian artists could not afford to dilute afrobeats until it loses its essence.
“Afrobeats was getting boring, so I had to switch it up. They will keep applauding while we water it down until others start winning our afrobeats awards,” he said.
“With the success that has come to Afrobeats, I feel like we are listening to the voices of the world too much, ignoring the voices back home.”
At his album listening party in London, Rema also called on Nigerian artists to reclaim their ownership of afrobeats.
“We have to take our sh*t back, own it, and protect it. The more we water it down, the easier we make it for others to replicate. Until some people start winning Afrobeats awards, we’ll then realize we’ve indirectly sold ourselves,” he stated.
