On December 11, 2025, during an interview with Toolz on Bounce FM, Don Jazzy spoke candidly about the challenges of taking African music to a global audience. The Mavin Records founder revealed that the label spent approximately $4–5 million promoting Rema’s hit song “Calm Down,” helping turn it into a worldwide success.

According to Don Jazzy, global success in music does not happen organically. It requires constant promotion, strategic planning, and heavy investment across multiple markets. He explained that Mavin Records typically focuses on dominating one region first before reinvesting to break into another market.

“A song like Calm Down, we probably spent close to $4–5 million to get it to where it is,” Don Jazzy said. When the interviewer expressed shock at the figure, he replied, “The lifestyle cost — you don’t even know.”

The investment covered a wide range of expenses, including promotions, radio airplay, playlist placement, international tours, major collaborations, and lifestyle costs necessary to maintain a global presence. Don Jazzy noted that such high-budget campaigns are similar to those used by top Western pop stars and are essential for competing in major markets.

He added that the spending has delivered significant returns for both Rema and Mavin Records, emphasizing that success in the music industry is the result of long-term planning rather than overnight fame.

Released in 2022 as part of Rema’s debut album Rave & Roses, Calm Down gained even greater momentum after Selena Gomez joined the remix in August 2022. The song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest position ever achieved by a Nigerian-led track at the time. It also became the first African song to surpass one billion streams on Spotify and remains one of the longest-charting African songs on the Billboard Hot 100.

Don Jazzy’s revelation highlights the scale of investment required to push African artists onto the global stage and underscores how strategic funding has helped position Rema as a major international force in Afrobeats.