Divine Ikubor, better known by his stage name Rema, is a global afrobeats star who has canceled all of his December shows in order to prioritize his health.

He announced this on his Instagram account late on Wednesday, November 30.

It pains me to announce that I won’t be doing any shows in December. After years of touring, I’ve neglected my health and I need time to heal. Here we go again, 2024. In the post, he wrote, “Love ❤️.”

Rema has had a successful year touring and performing in different cities in Europe, Asia, and North America.

The abrupt announcement is a major disappointment for his Nigerian fans, especially after the planned tour in Abuja, Lagos, and Benin.

He was also scheduled to perform at the Hey Neighbor Music Festival, set to take place from December 8 to December 10.

The announcement by Rema to cancel all performances in December came shortly after the Governor of Edo state, Godwin Obaseki, unveiled plans to host him in a grand homecoming music concert on December 21.   

Speaking to young people on Wednesday, November 29, at the Sir Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub in Benin City, the state capital, the governor expressed delight about having the artist visit.

The Edo State Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and Diaspora Affairs released a statement from Obaseki, saying, “With God’s grace, we will bring Rema home this Christmas.” There will be a homecoming concert for Rema.

Rema established a name for himself in the Nigerian and global music scenes in 2023. His most recent success was the song “Calm Down,” which achieved chart history on Apple Music and Spotify.

The popular song came in at number twelve on Apple Music’s global top 100 most streamed songs and number eight on Spotify’s top ten list of worldwide most played tracks.