Mavin Records boss Don Jazzy has finally lifted the curtain on just how much it cost to catapult Rema’s Calm Down into a global Afrobeats phenomenon, and the figure is nothing short of staggering.
In a candid conversation on Toolz’s Bounce series, the legendary producer revealed that the label poured between $4 million and $5 million into pushing the record across the world. It wasn’t a guess or an exaggeration;
Don Jazzy said it plainly, the way someone who has lived the grind would: getting a song to dominate multiple continents takes relentless strategy and serious money.
He broke down the process like a battlefield campaign. To conquer one territory, you invest heavily in promotion, marketing, radio, streaming, and billboards; then, once that ground is secure, you push even harder into the next. “A song like Calm Down, we probably spent close to $4–5 million to get it to where it is,” he explained, describing their global roll-out as a “conquer and move” operation.
And the payoff? Monumental.
Since dropping in 2022 and skyrocketing even further after the Selena Gomez remix, Calm Down has smashed record after record. It became the first African song to cross one billion streams on Spotify and went on to enjoy one of the longest Billboard Hot 100 runs ever for an African track.
For Rema, it sealed his status as one of Afrobeats’ biggest exports. For Don Jazzy, it proved once again that he understands how to build global stars.
His revelation also paints a clearer picture of what it really takes to break an African artist into the international mainstream.
Talent is essential, but behind every chart-topping Afrobeats hit, there’s a high-powered marketing engine one willing to spend big and operate on the same scale as Western pop labels.
Don Jazzy’s insight is a reminder that global success isn’t accidental. It is built—carefully, strategically, and sometimes, at the cost of millions.
“We spent close to $4-5 million to promote Rema’s “Calm Down” and get it to where it is”
– Don Jazzy pic.twitter.com/iSnlpoyb51
— OLAMIDE 🌸💖 (@Olamide0fficial) December 11, 2025