Nigerian singer Rema made headlines on Sunday after walking off the stage during his performance at the 2024 Dreamville Festival in North Carolina.
The highly anticipated two-day festival unfolded on April 6 and 7, featuring a star-studded lineup including J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, Monica, and Muni Long. Rema graced the stage on day 2 alongside these music heavyweights.
However, during his rendition of ‘Calm Down,’ one of his hit tracks, Rema had to halt his performance due to sound issues.
A now-viral video captures Rema expressing his dissatisfaction with the sound quality, deeming it “messed up” and asserting that it was impeding his ability to deliver a stellar performance.
In addition to addressing the sound issues, Rema called for equal treatment regarding sound quality for all artists, emphasising the importance of a level playing field in ensuring optimal performances for everyone involved.
“Hold on, there are too many sound issues. it is messing up my whole performance I am seriously not feeling this sh*t at all,” he said
“It is too messed up. I am representing Africa, this is too messed up. If the sound cannot be perfect for every artiste that gets on this stage… Africa is in the house and you are messing sh*t up? I will walk out this stage bruh, fix it!”
Another clip shows Rema reiterating his concerns about the sound before leaving the stage.
“Too many sound issues my people, I love you goodnight,” he added.
This incident marks not the first time Rema has exited a stage due to production issues.
In July 2023, the Nigerian singer made headlines when he abruptly departed from a performance in Atlanta. Rema cited dissatisfaction with the venue, describing it as “terrible” and alleging that it showed disrespect towards him and Afrobeats music.