Smoking Part of My Artistic Identity – Rema

Kehinde Adeleye

Nigerian music star Divine Ikubor, known professionally as Rema, has opened up about the reasons behind his bold rebranding ahead of the release of his second album ‘HEIS’ last year.

As part of his transformation, Rema abandoned his trademark mask and teddy bear persona, opting instead for tattoos, darker themes, smoking, and a revamped sound and visual style.

Reflecting on the album’s one-year anniversary on Thursday, the artist emphasized that the shift wasn’t a change in character but a creative expression. He clarified that the smoking and darker imagery were artistic choices, not a departure from his true self as some fans suggested.

Rema also revealed that the album’s striking cover art was inspired by Itachi Uchiha, a character from the Japanese anime Naruto.

On his X handle, he wrote, “HEIS, the Anniversary.

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

“Consider this an Author’s note;

“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 & choice of color ).”