Nilsson, who became a father three weeks ago, nearly gave up his music dream a few years ago. He has worked as a forklift driver, film worker, and studied to become a ship's officer. When he finished his ship's officer training and had a job waiting, his music career started taking off. According to Region Halland, Nilsson described having one hour to decide whether to take the ship job or pursue music, and he chose music.
His path to success included attending Löftadalens folkhögskola, where he applied to the Singer/songwriter program when he was around 30. He had already worked, toured small venues, and made albums that few listened to before attending. According to Region Halland, Nilsson described the folk high school as giving him time to focus on music full-time. He was about ten years older than most classmates, which became an asset. The program focused on songwriting, not guitar skills or band playing. According to Region Halland, Nilsson described how every week they had to present a new song with acoustic guitar, completely stripped down. He switched from singing in English to singing in Gothenburg dialect and found his artistic voice. His songs are about everyday people and experiences, such as 'Jerry on the forklift', city buses, and stairwells. According to Region Halland, Nilsson described all his songs as based on personal experiences.