Nigerian Afrobeats stars Burna Boy (L) and Rema. (-)

Nigeria’s legendary music star Burna Boy became the winner of the Top Afrobeats Artist as fellow countryman Rema scooped another award, in the 2023 Billboard Music Awards held in the US on Sunday.

Both Rema and American singer and actress Selena Gomez, won the Top Afrobeats Song for their remix Calm Down which recently broke records on music streaming channel Sportify.

The two awards were among the nine new categories introduced by the U.S.-based music academy this year to recognize the diversity and growth of the global music industry.

Burna Boy has beaten a hot competition from Wizkid, Rema, Tems, and Cameroonian star, Libianca.

While Rema’s ‘Calm Down’ remix won over Ayra Starr’s ‘Rush’, Oxlade’s ‘Ku Lo Sa’, Libianca’s ‘People’, and Victony’s ‘Soweto’ with Rema and Don Toliver, to take home the price for the inaugural award category.

In his acceptance remarks, Burna Boy dedicated his win “to Africa and every artist coming out of Africa now”, according to the BBC.

Rema said the honour for the song Calm Down “is a celebration of unity and the global domination of Afrobeats”.

Selena Gomez, who featured in the song, credited Rema for the award, saying :“This is honestly Rema’s doing. He chose me to be a part of such an incredible song.”