Nigerian music star Rema has opened up about the reasons behind his bold rebranding during the rollout of his second album HEIS, which dropped last year. The Calm Down hitmaker had caught fans by surprise when he moved away from his usual teddy bear and mask look, embracing tattoos, smoking visuals, and a darker, edgier aesthetic.

Alongside the new look came a shift in sound and energy that left many wondering if he had changed for good. Marking the one-year anniversary of HEIS, Rema took to X to explain the deeper meaning behind the transformation. He clarified that the new persona wasn’t a departure from who he truly is but rather an artistic choice meant to match the mood and symbolism of the project.

He revealed that the album cover was inspired by Itachi Uchiha from the Naruto anime series; a character known for hiding painful truths behind a cold exterior. Rema said the smoking, darker visuals, and sound were part of that same storytelling technique: “The truth masked as illusion, love buried under what y’all thought was betrayal.”

Nigerian singer, Rema, speaks on his strategic plan for rebranding his music and how he came up with his album “HEIS.”

The singer took to the X platform to share his thought process behind the album “HEIS.”

“HEIS, the Anniversary. I expressed a lot of surface-level reasons why I released this project over the course of various interviews when it came out, but here are a few symbolic details that wrap around the energy of the project. I kept them to myself, but now, I’d like to share.”

“The cover was inspired by Itachi in Naruto — the truth masked as illusion, love buried under what y’all thought was betrayal (change of sound, smoking, looks, aesthetics, and choice of color).”

Nigerian actress, Iyabo Ojo, addresses the ongoing drama, threats, and protest against her.

The actress took to social media to release an official statement regarding her alleged involvement in the death of the late singer, Mohbad.

“FOR PUBLIC RECORDS

1. It is no longer news that I was recently invited by the Nigeria Police Force, National Cybercrime Centre, Abuja, over petitions bordering on cyberbullying and other allegations concerning a live video I recorded a few years ago. In that video, I requested certain individuals to make themselves available for investigation into the sudden death of Mohbad in order to prove their innocence or otherwise…..”

Read more on her page https://www.instagram.com/p/DL7VwVfofWU/?igsh=NTgyODE5M2t0aDU=