Best known as one-third of the Swedish House Mafia, Axwell emerged from Stockholm’s club scene in the 2000s to become one of the defining figures of the global EDM era. Born Axel Christofer Hedfors in Lund, Sweden, in 1977, Axwell got his start in the late ‘90s making French-Touch-influenced funky house before he began pivoting toward progressive and electro-house in the early 2000s, frequently in collaboration with future bandmates Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello. His disco-fueled 2005 single “Feel the Vibe” marked a step toward the melodic, big-room sounds he would increasingly pursue after debuting SHM with 2010’s “One.” The trio’s monumental success didn’t prevent Axwell from striking out on his own: While they were touring the globe, he racked up solo hits like “Center of the Universe” and formed the duo Axwell /\ Ingrosso, plying a bubbly, tropically tinged version of the group’s signature sound. To counter his main-stage reputation, he paid tribute to his old-school bona fides with 2018’s moody “Nobody Else”—a glimpse at the same deep-house influences that would resurface on Swedish House Mafia’s 2022 comeback album.