For the first time on stage, it appeared the Prince of Afrobeats, Rema, was unable to calm down when his performance at a concert in the United States experienced some technical hitches.
The Calm Down hitmaker Rema had his turn at J. Cole‘s Dreamville Festival at Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh, North Carolina, but was held up with some “major sound issue” when he grabbed his microphone to perform.
The two-day festival came off Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7, 2024, with a host of top performers like Nicki Minaj, ScHoolboy Q, Sexyy Red, Lil Yachty, Rae Sremmurd, and others.
Rema reportedly took the stage on day two of the festival but was visibly disturbed when his mic kept going off with other sound interferences while he was performing the fan’s favourite, Calm Down.
After a few failed attempts to sing, he said: “This sound issue is messing up my whole performance…I’m seriously not feeling this sh**t at all. It’s too messed up.
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“I’m representing Africa. This is too messed up. So the sound cannot be perfect for every artist that gets on this stage and Africa is in the house and y’all messing sh***t up?” he added, damning the organisers in excerpts of the show posted online.
Not satisfied with the sound quality, the singer reportedly ended his set and walked off the stage. The official statement from the organisers of the concert has not been cited yet.
Notwithstanding the mishap at the Dreamville Festival, Rema is expected to turn up at other concerts in the months ahead and would be among the headliners for the 2024 Afro Nation festival, which comes off later in August this year.
Other stars, including Party Next Door, Adekunle Gold, Ayra Starr, and Ruger, are also expected to join the Afro Nation performances in Detroit, USA, which would take place August 17 to 18.
The celebration is returning to Detroit for the second time, having been hosted previously in Ghana, Portugal and Puerto Rico. Organisers said Detroit’s rich history of African American culture made it the preferred destination for Afro Nation 2024.
The festival offers participants from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to celebrate and connect with Detroit’s vibrant music and artistic communities.