Don Jazzy’s Global Machine
The meaning of Mavin Global’s alliance with Universal Music Group.
Founded by Don Jazzy in 2012, Mavin Records has been instrumental in shaping Afrobeats as we know it for over a decade. In 2023, Mavin artist, Rema, made history as his hit single, ‘Calm Down’, became the first African artist-led song to join Spotify’s Billions Club. According to a BBC report, ‘Calm Down’ is also the best-performing Afrobeats song of all time on the Billboard charts, having peaked at number three on the Hot 100 chart and maintained a spot on the chart for 57 weeks, an unprecedented feat for any African artist. ‘Calm Down’ was first released in February 2022 as a lead single from Rema’s debut album, Rave & Roses. However, eager to make a global hit out of the record which was already faring well internationally, Rema called on American pop star, Selena Gomez to release a remix just 6 months later. Needless to say, it was a strategic move that paid off, as it earned him his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and Gomez her second-highest-peaking career hit.
Mavin Records is also home to Ayra Starr, a quintessential femme Afropop star who debuted less than two years after Rema but is already smashing her own records on the global stage. In January 2024, Bounce Networks reported that Ayra Starr’s ‘Rush’ music video had become the most viewed music video by a female African artist, with over 300 million views on YouTube. The electrifying tune charted in several countries, including Switzerland, the Netherlands and the UK, and bagged a diamond certification in France. The 21-year-old songstress also made history when ‘Rush’ was nominated for the inaugural Best African Music Performance category at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.
These achievements, and a host of others, were certainly enough to capture the interest of Universal Music Group (UMG), as the ‘world leader in music-based entertainment’ announced an investment deal with Mavin in February 2024. The deal, which is expected to be closed by the start of the third quarter of the year pending regulatory approval, will see UMG own a multi-million-dollar majority stake in Mavin while leaving CEO, Don Jazzy and chief operating officer, Tega Oghenejobo, at the helm of management...
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