: He saw a girl who stood out to him, but when he tried to "shoot his shot" and get her number, she was playing hard to get.
: Her friends were reportedly encouraging her to be snobbish, which "killed the vibe".
: The song became the longest-charting African song on the Billboard Hot 100 and the first African artist-led track to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify . Rema - Calm Down
: Rema and Selena first connected via social media after she expressed being a fan of his music. She eventually attended his show in Los Angeles, which solidified the collaboration.
: To get her to listen, he literally told her to "calm down" and give him a listening ear so he could express how he felt. The Studio Process : He saw a girl who stood out
The "proper story" behind Rema's global hit is a blend of a real-life club encounter and a deliberate effort to create high-energy music during a somber time. The Real-Life Inspiration
The inside story of BRITs nominee Rema's Calm Down - Music Week : Rema and Selena first connected via social
Rema has shared in multiple interviews that the lyrics were inspired by a girl he met at a party in 2021.