Rema Marks His Birthday With A Performance in New York
Rema stepped onto one of the world’s biggest stages to celebrate his 25th birthday. On Friday night (May 2), the Nigerian hitmaker made his headlining debut at Madison Square Garden. Thus, the young star marked a defining moment in his career and in the rise of Afrobeats as a global force.
The show is part of his Heis World Tour, a victory lap for his 2024 sophomore album Heis, which earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Global Music Album. That project, sprawling and cinematic in scope, served as the conceptual spine for the night. This ambitious, genre-blurring showcase affirmed Rema’s place in Afrobeats’ upper echelon alongside Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Davido.
Rema opened, suspended above the crowd on a levitating platform. Moreover, he was draped in an oversized fur coat, brandishing a symbolic machete. Rema jumped into “March Am,” Heis’ brooding intro track. A pre-recorded voice boomed over thunderous drums.
“I wanna introduce to you a man, a myth, a legend… He goes by many names! He is… Prince of Afrobeats, Rema!” The dramatics might have come off as excessive in lesser hands, but Rema earned every syllable of that bold intro over the next 90 minutes.
Rema and Madison Square Garden Performance
Rema delivered a set ranging between dark theatricality and light-hearted romance. High-energy tracks like “Azaman” and “Yayo” set the early pace. After that, strobing lights and dystopian stage design nodded to Heis’ post-apocalyptic vibes. Later, a mid-show kiss cam and more intimate arrangements shifted the mood into warmer, sensual territory. Thus, it was highlighted by crowd favorites like “Soundgasm,” the Darkoo-assisted “Favorite Girl.” Also, of course, there was the arena-wide singalong that greeted “Calm Down.”
Also, Rema showed his range with new songs. With soulful “Bout U” and genre-crossing “Baby (Is It a Crime),” blurring the lines between Afrobeats, R&B, and alt-rock. His ability to glide from swaggering, rock-tinged anthems to melodic love songs shows how expansive his musical world has become.
Visually, the show leaned into spectacle without sacrificing soul. One standout sequence recreated the surreal flair of the “Charm” video. At the same time, Rema’s female backing vocalists added sonic and symbolic counterbalance. Thus softening the machismo with lush harmonies and graceful energy. He spent much of the show atop a stage design resembling a dungeon or ceremonial altar. He heightened the sense of mythology that now surrounds his image. While striking, that choice kept him somewhat removed from the floor crowd during the most kinetic parts of the set—an opportunity missed, perhaps, for an even deeper connection.
Still, this was less a concert than a coronation, from the expertly curated visuals to the surprise guests and tight pacing. Rema didn’t just celebrate his birthday—he claimed his seat at the table of global pop’s most electrifying visionaries.
