Biography

With five Grammy nominations and a bright, distinctive sound, electronic dance musician Axwell is an award-winning DJ/producer and member of the progressive house supergroup Swedish House Mafia. With the latter, he conquered festivals throughout the early 2010s, scoring two platinum certifications with their albums Until One and Until Now. As a solo artist, he churned out consistent singles, most notably 2008's "What a Wonderful World," 2012's remix of "In My Mind," and 2018's "Belong." Born Axel Christofer Hedfors in Lund, Sweden, he grew up playing drums. His love of beats and percussion flowed naturally into electronic music composition, which he started as a teenager. He performed under early monikers OXL and Quazar before doling out remixes as Axwell. He first hit the Billboard dance chart hit in 2003 with the single "Burning" (a collaboration with Robbie Rivera and Suzan Brittan), while 2004 saw the release of "Feel the Vibe," a hit that would surface again in 2005 as "Feel the Vibe ('Til the Morning Comes)" with singer Tara MacDonald adding new vocals. The year 2005 also saw the release of the dance hit "Watch the Sunrise" with Steve Edwards on vocals, along with the formation of the DJ's own label, Axtone. In 2006, he would form the project Supermode with fellow producer Steve Angello, while in 2007 the pair was joined by DJ Sebastian Ingrosso for a DJ set in Ibiza under the name Swedish House Mafia. Two years later the trio signed a major-label recording contract with EMI and made their commercial production debut with the summer 2010 anthem "One," also known as "One (Your Name)" (the latter version featured Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes on vocals). The song was a Top Ten hit in the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Belgium, and landed on the group's debut album, 2010's Until One. Two years later the group members announced they were breaking up and returning to their solo careers, although only after a farewell tour and the release of their second album, 2012's Until Now. That same year, Axwell's remix of Ivan Gough & Feenixpawl's "In My Mind" turned the track into a smash hit and earned Axwell a Grammy nomination for best remix. He followed it in 2013 with the solo hit "Center of the Universe," along with another collaboration with Ingrosso, the single "Roar." The two DJs officially formed the duo Axwell /\ Ingrosso in 2014, performing at festivals and releasing singles such as "Something New" and "Can't Hold Us Down." 2015 track "Sun Is Shining" was also a huge success, hitting number one on the Swedish singles chart and eventually being certified quadruple platinum. The duo released follow-up single "This Time" that November, with all proceeds donated to charity. These songs were eventually included on the duo's debut, More Than You Know, which arrived in late 2017. The pair later reunited with Angello at Ultra Miami 2018 for a surprise performance as Swedish House Mafia, teasing an official future reunion of the beloved trio. That same year, Axwell also released solo singles "Barricade" and Swedish chart hit "Belong." ~ Chris True & Neil Z. Yeung