Ant Wan's music has been used primarily to feel emotions. You put it on in your headphones on the night bus home or if you want to cry a little. I get worried for close friends when Ant Wan releases a new album because they start contacting exes they shouldn't be contacting, says Petter Hallén, who is the host of P3 Din gata.
"Cry in my sleep"
Ant Wan debuted under the artist name Råby, named after his residential area in Västerås, and built up a mystique with a sparse presence in social media and minimal collaborations. Råby sounded like traditional Swedish "gangster rap" but after the name change to Ant Wan, the sound became more experimental and the lyrics more emotional, sometimes bordering on opera.
In the song "Legend" from 2018, Antwan raps "I always wake up really depressed, I think I cry in my sleep".
There is a cliché image of Swedish gangster rap only glorifying a criminal life, but it's quite common for the artists to talk about negative emotions. I still think this line stood out because he took it to another level emotionally, says Petter Hallén.
He also notes that the breakthrough came at the same time as Swedish rap was the most popular music among young people in Sweden.
A friend and colleague usually compares it to Kent, and Ant Wan's music has the same small-town anxiety and melancholy.
Swedish music history
On "Mama" (2019), the lyrics started to deal more with relationships.
Similar to The Weeknd, Antwan cultivated a "I'm bad for you" persona, which attracted a large female audience. That he sold out Avicii arena in 2023 and 3 Arena in 2024 (where he broke Madonna's audience record) is unique for a Swedish rapper. Something that, according to Petter Hallén, probably wouldn't have been possible if Ant Wan was associated with real crime like some other artists in the same genre.
But in May 2025, Ant Wan thanked the fans on Instagram and wrote "it's time for me to live my life somewhere far from cameras and spotlights".
Isn't it strange that Ant Wan is quitting now?
Yes and no. It doesn't suit him as an artist to go from being one of the absolute biggest to becoming a mid-tier rapper who releases a project that the fans like but doesn't top the charts. It's better to take control of the narrative himself and quit on top, says Petter Hallén.
Kristoffer Viita/TT
Fact: Ant Wan
TT
Born: 1998 (27 years)
Birth name: Antwan Afram
Hometown: Västerås
Ant Wan is one of Sweden's biggest hip-hop artists, with hits like "Malaika" and "Komplicerat". His latest album "Wanderland" was released last year, 2024, the same year he broke Madonna's audience record at Tele2 arena in Stockholm. In 2023, he sold out Avicii arena, as the first Swedish hip-hop artist.
Current with: Performances at Sthlm Fields on June 28 and Dream Park Festival in Malmö on August 1. The concerts will be his last as an artist.
