I spent $5m promoting Rema’s ‘Calm Down’ to global success — Don Jazzy

Mavin Records founder and music executive, Don Jazzy, has disclosed that between $4 million and $5 million was spent promoting Rema’s global hit song Calm Down.

Speaking in a recent interview with Bounce FM, Don Jazzy explained that the cost of pushing a song depends largely on the scale of the release and the target market, noting that promotion for a single track can range from $100,000 to over $1 million.

Using Calm Down as a case study, the producer said the song showed strong potential shortly after its release in February 2022, which led the team to gradually increase investment in its promotion.

He added that promotional costs also vary depending on whether an artiste is releasing a single, EP, or full album, revealing that promoting just two singles in Nigeria can cost as much as $300,000.

According to him, the campaign behind Calm Down eventually cost close to $4–5 million as it was pushed to audiences across the globe.

The track later received a remix featuring American pop star Selena Gomez in August 2022, a move that further boosted its international appeal. By March 2023, Calm Down had earned platinum certification in the United Kingdom and went on to set several records, including becoming India’s second-longest-charting number-one African song.

Don Jazzy, however, noted that massive spending does not always guarantee success, pointing out that some songs have gone viral with budgets as low as ₦10 million.

Rema, born Divine Ikubor, signed with Jonzing World, a subsidiary of Mavin Records, in 2019 and quickly stood out for his distinct sound and vibrant stage presence.

Since then, he has risen to become one of Africa’s biggest music exports, with hits such as Dumebi and Calm Down establishing him as a global Afrobeats star.

The revelation sheds light on the huge investment often required to propel African music onto the world stage.