Axwell reveals Swedish House Mafia hit nearly went unreleased

Axwell has revealed that the Swedish House Mafia hit “Don’t You Worry Child” was nearly left unfinished. In an interview with Brian Fink on America’s Dance 30, Axwell explained that during the production in 2012, the group's record label rejected an early version of the track, claiming it was not suitable for release.

Rather than attempting to remake the song to satisfy the label, the trio, consisting of Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastien Ingrosso, decided to trust their instincts and move forward with the track as it was. Axwell noted that the group often spends so much time refining a song that they begin to doubt its quality, a process that contributed to their uncertainty.

Released in September 2012, the song became a massive success, reaching number one on the UK singles chart and entering the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. It also earned a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording. As of 2024, the track has surpassed one billion streams on Spotify and one billion views on YouTube.