As he prepared to release his sophomore album, HEIS, last year, Nigerian musician Divine Ikubor—better known by his stage name Rema—explained why he decided to rebrand.
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The musician embraced tattoos, smoking, and darker hues as part of his rebranding, leaving behind his trademark mask and Teddy bear. His aesthetics and tone were also altered.
On Thursday, marking the one-year anniversary of his sophomore album, Rema addressed the widespread belief that his rebranding—which included smoking—was a betrayal of his identity. He instead emphasised that it was an artistic expression.
The contentious album cover, he said, was modelled after Itachi Uchiha from the Japanese anime series Naruto. He inscribed “HEIS, the Anniversary” on his X handle.
Amidst the interviews that followed the project’s release, I discussed many of the more surface-level reasons for its release. However, there are a few “SYMBOLIC” aspects that encapsulate the project’s energy that I had kept to myself until now, and I’d want to share them with you. Think of this as a note from the author;
The cover was influenced by Itachi from Naruto. The Truth concealed by deceit, Love concealed beneath what you perceived as treachery (a change in appearance, smoking habits, style, and colour preference).
According to furucinovel, rapper Shallipopi made a similar claim last year, claiming not to smoke even though he frequently posted photos and videos of himself smoking. He insisted that smoking is purely aesthetic.