Music executive Paulo Okoye has suggested that afrobeats artist Rema is pricing himself too high.
During an interview with media personality Ifedayo Olarinde, known as Daddy Freeze, Paulo argued that Rema should focus on performing more shows and building a larger fanbase to justify his current fee.
Paulo also noted that earnings for Rema and his fellow artist Asake have declined. Previously, both artists earned between $4 million and $5 million, but their income has since decreased to around $2 million (N3.2 billion) and $3 million (N4.8 billion) for 2023 and 2024, respectively.
This comes in the wake of Rema’s high-profile performance at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding on July 12 at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai, where he reportedly received $3 million for performing his hit song “Calm Down,” according to Hindustan Times.
He said:
“Rema is on another level, he’s a Gen Z superstar. He’s our major face of African music. They [Western world] regard Rema the same way they regard American artists.
“But the problem about Rema at the moment is overpricing. I think he overpriced himself. He needs to do more shows to build a huge fanbase to earn his price tag.”