Rydgren, who first captured public attention finishing fourth on Swedish Idol 2022, has spent the intervening years shedding the reality television chrysalis to emerge as a genuinely compelling pop artist. Under the mentorship of Anders Bagge—the Swedish hitmaker whose credits span Madonna to Robyn—the Järfälla-born performer has developed a sonic identity that feels both intimately personal and broadly accessible, a balance many aspiring popstars spend entire careers attempting to strike.

The track itself, co-written with producer Simon Karlsson, builds its foundation on a deceptively simple premise: capturing that rare sensation when life requires nothing more. No burning ambitions, no gnawing anxieties, no desperate reaching for something just beyond grasp. Simply being becomes enough. It's a radical statement in our achievement-obsessed culture, where perpetual striving has become the default mode of existence. Rydgren dares to suggest that perhaps the ultimate goal isn't reaching some distant summit but recognizing when you've already arrived.

Musically, the production demonstrates admirable restraint. Rather than drowning the concept in over-wrought strings or bombastic drops, Karlsson and Rydgren allow space for the message to breathe. The arrangement serves the lyric, never overwhelming it—a lesson many contemporary producers would benefit from learning. Rydgren's voice, described as emotive, carries the weight of the sentiment without theatrical overselling. He understands that genuine feeling requires no embellishment.

The artist's journey to this point has been circuitous. Previous musical incarnations under the monikers NORR and San Sebastian suggest someone searching for the right vessel for their artistry. The recent releases "Imaginary Lover" and "In My Dreams" (the latter two dropping under the San Sebastian name) hint at an artist finally comfortable in his own skin, no longer trying on personas but inhabiting one authentic to his experience.

This authenticity permeates "how i wanna die." The lowercase styling of the title itself—increasingly common in modern pop but nonetheless meaningful—suggests a kind of quiet confidence, an unwillingness to shout for attention. The song doesn't demand your ear; it invites it. This distinction matters.

Lyrically, Rydgren navigates territory that could easily veer into either saccharine sentimentality or affected cynicism. He avoids both traps. The core concept—if death came now, at least it would find me content—reads almost Stoic in its acceptance of mortality while cherishing the present. It recalls Marcus Aurelius more than your typical pop confection, though delivered with considerably more melodic appeal than the Roman emperor ever mustered.

One might argue that contentment makes for less compelling narrative than struggle, that happiness lacks the dramatic tension of heartbreak or longing. Yet Rydgren demonstrates that joy, when examined honestly, contains its own complexity. The song acknowledges its temporal nature—this perfect moment cannot last forever—which gives it poignancy without resorting to melancholy.

With an EP promised and more material in development, Sebastian Rydgren appears poised to establish himself beyond the reality television framework that launched him. "how i wanna die" suggests an artist who has found not just his voice but something to say with it. In the crowded landscape of Scandinavian pop exports, that combination of craft and substance positions him as someone worth watching closely.

The single released January 16th, a winter date that seems fitting for such introspective fare. Whether it captures the broader public imagination remains to be seen, but it has already achieved something more difficult: creating a genuine artistic statement from a sentiment most people feel but few articulate. That's no small accomplishment for any artist, regardless of how they began their journey.