For its 2023 All-Star weekend, the NBA went global. Burna Boy, Tems, and Rema shut down the NBA All-Star Game halftime show last night (Feb. 19) with an Afrobeats-themed performance at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Burna Boy opened halftime with his singles “It’s Plenty” and “Alone.” “I’m about to take you on a journey to Africa without even boarding a plane,” the Grammy Award-winning singer announced before performing. Rema followed with “Calm Down” and his new single “Holiday.”
Tems then took over with a melody reminiscent of her hit songs “Crazy Tings,” “Free Mind,” “Essence,” and “Higher.” Burna Boy returned to the stage to perform his hit singles “Ye” and “Last Last.”
Before the game yesterday, Post Malone performed his songs “Wow” and “Rockstar” alongside the Nigerian stars. He even surprised the audience by bringing out 21 Savage, who appears on “Rockstar.”
Burna Boy released his sixth studio album, Love, Damini, last summer, which featured J Balvin, J Hus, Khalid, Popcaan, Kehlani, Blxst, Ed Sheeran, Victony, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The 19-track album charted at No. 14 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Billboard World Albums.
Tems made history by becoming the first Nigerian female artist to win a Grammy. The 27-year-old singer took home the award for Best Melodic Rap Performance for her vocal and writing contributions to Future’s hit song “WAIT FOR U,” which featured Drake and herself.
She’s also up for an Oscar in 2023 for Best Original Song for her pen game on Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up,” which appears on the soundtrack to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Rema released his debut album, Rave & Roses, in April of last year. The remix to his hit song “Calm Down,” featuring Selena Gomez, topped the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart as well as the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart. It also reached the third position on the Global 200 chart. The 22-year-old recently released his new singles “Holiday” and “Reason You.”
