Afrobeats star Rema, whose hit song “Calm Down” has made waves globally, has sparked a flurry of mixed reactions online after a rocky performance at the 2025 Coachella Festival.
The singer, who was scheduled for a 45-minute set, arrived 30 minutes late to the stage. When he finally appeared, his performance was off to a shaky start as he poorly lip-synced before eventually singing some of his chart-topping hits, including ‘Calm Down’.
However, his performance ended abruptly when he decided to play a different song, leaving the audience confused.
The incident drew a wave of mixed reactions on social media, with some users criticizing Rema for being “tardy”.
Others defended the singer, speculating that he might have been dealing with an unexpected issue backstage.
Reacting, a user wrote: “The Rema set at Coachella is a disaster. 20 mins in and Rema Is nowhere to be found. The DJ has been hyping the crowd while the band just stares at each other. It’s the DJ’s set at this point.”
Another user said: “What just happened? Rema has been affected by something that happened backstage. This is not him. But you can tell he is trying.”
A user said: This Rema’s DJ Afrobeat set is fire but this is not why we are here 😭 #REMACHELLA
One other wrote: Wait did they carry this Eko Hotel nonsense to coachella? Because which one is DJ saying “I just got word Rema just stepped on stage” This is the 5th time he’s saying this #REMACHELLA
Another one wrote: Your set is 45 min and you’re 20 min late come on now. Du talking about its almost show time 💀 #REMACHELLA
Yet another one wrote: Rema had a great set even with the complications he had. 🦇❤️
The 2025 Coachella Festival, taking place at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, California, is scheduled over two weekends: April 11–13 and April 18–20. Fans are eager to see how Rema’s tour continues amidst the ups and downs of his Coachella performance.
