Selena Gomez could hardly “Calm Down” after her breezy Rema collaboration hit 1 billion Spotify streams.
The star took to her Instagram Stories and Twitter on Sunday (Sept. 10) to share the accomplishment, writing, “I’m so grateful. Love you @heisrema!”
The billion stream milestone is particularly special for Rema, as it’s the first time an African artist-led track has reached the number, per a press release. “It’s a blessing. It’s not just a big win for me, my team and family, it’s also a big one for the culture. I feel really happy and I’m really proud of the fans as well for going back to the song and putting people on the song. Shout out to the DJs and everyone who made this possible,” the singer said in a press statement.
Over on the Billboard charts, “Calm Down” fared particularly well. The crossover hit topped Billboard’s Adult Pop Airplay chart (dated May 13), marking Rema’s first leader on the list. It also topped the all-format Radio Songs chart and Pop Airplay chart. “Calm Down” also topped the Rhythmic Airplay chart for four weeks in May-June. On the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, the song has hit No. 3, becoming Rema’s first entry and Gomez’s ninth top 10.
Rema, from Nigeria, released the original version of “Calm Down” in February 2022 as a single from his debut solo LP, Rave & Roses. Its remix with Gomez arrived last August, and that version’s official video premiered in September.