Singer Rema reveals that he wants to take Afrobeats back to its roots with his new album ‘HEIS’

Popular Nigerian singer, Rema discusses the creative motivation behind his recently released second album, ‘HEIS’.

Since entering the limelight in 2019, Rema has announced himself as one of Nigeria’s most daring and gifted artistes.

This creative bravery is evident in his newly released sophomore album, ‘HEIS,’ on which he used uptempo party-starting production, frantic delivery, and authentic Afrobeats lyricism while embracing Rockstar aesthetics.

Rema stated at his album launch party in London that Afrobeats is becoming dumbed down as a result of the urge to chase globally appealing hits. Rema went on to say that this dumbing down will make it simpler for others to take the sound and recreate it, even winning Afrobeats awards.

“We all know what Afrobeats was like in 2015, and we all have to take our shit back and own it and protect it,” Rema said at the London event.

“Sometimes, we make it and water it down for them to be able to create it,” Rema explains how the global influence on Afrobeats makes it easier for the sound to be recreated by foreign artists.

“You don’t see artists out here in the diaspora making a song like ‘Ozeba,'” Rema stated.

Rema performed songs from his new album ‘HEIS’ at the listening party, which has divided views, with some seeing it as a brave attempt. Others have disagreed on the output’s quality.

In related news, popular musician Divine Ikubor, known as Rema, has emphasized the importance of Nigerian artists maintaining afrobeats culture in order for the country to maintain its dominance in the African music industry.

According to reports, the South African genre amapiano has seen a significant invasion into the Nigerian music industry in recent years.

In an interview with Apple Music, Rema acknowledged that amapiano is a great genre, but emphasized that Nigerian artists must maintain afrobeats’ presence on the continent.

He stated that his recently released sophomore album, ‘HeIs,’ was strongly influenced by afrobeat luminaries such as Don Jazzy and the Mo’hits crew, 2Baba, Olamide, P-Square, and Timaya.

“I had to go back [while creating my new album]. I took a lot of inspiration from Mo’hits. For the first four seconds, when a Mo’hits’ song comes in, you already know it’s a Mo’hits’ song. Don Jazzy just goes crazy on the beat,” he said.

“The times when Olamide used to drop crazy songs, he still drops crazy songs. At the time when an Olamide song comes on you still know. P-Square, 2Face or Timaya. There used to be times when the beat just…

“Amapiano is great, it is fire but there used to be a time when Afrobeats production used to be so insane that nothing can survive it in the clubs in Africa. I’m not saying we’ve lost that but I’m just saying that we need more of that. I don’t want us to go too far away from that. We need to sustain it.”