Selena Gomez feels “so grateful” after reaching one billion streams on Spotify with her hit track “Calm Down.”
The pop star’s song – which is a collaboration with Nigerian singer-rapper Rema — has propelled her into the streaming giant’s so-called “Billions Club” of artists who have all clocked more than a billion listens with their tracks — joining songs like Katy Perry’s “Roar” and “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus as well as tracks by Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran and more.
Spotify Africa acknowledged the milestone in a post on X — formerly known as Twitter — declaring Rema is the first African artist to land in the exclusive club, writing: “We can’t Calm Down, @heisrema has entered the #BillionsClub with the first African artist-led track to hit a billion streams on Spotify! Congratulations to Rema and @SelenaGomez!”
Gomez also acknowledged the achievement by reposting the message and writing: “I’m so grateful. Love you @heisrema ! @Spotify @SpotifyAfrica.”
Rema was also thrilled with the news and released a statement expressing his delight, saying: “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.”
Rema’s original version of “Calm Down” was released in February 2022 and featured on his debut solo album Rave and Roses. He later teamed up with Gomez to produce their remixed version which landed in August 2022 and made it to No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
