19-year-old Einár, whose full name is Nils Kurt Erik Einar Grönberg, was the most streamed artist on Spotify in Sweden in 2019.

He was shot multiple times outside an apartment building shortly before 11pm on Thursday. Ambulance personnel administered first aid but he died at the scene, Stockholm police spokeswoman Towe Hägg told AFP.

Police have opened a murder investigation. “We are actively working to figure why it happened and who can be behind it,” Hägg said.

Police confirmed his identity to local newspaper Mitt i on Friday morning. Many of Einár’s songs reference a life of crime, including drugs and weapons. He had public feuds with rival artist Yasin, who in July was jailed for 10 months for his role in a 2020 kidnapping of Einár.

Einár starting posting songs to social media as a young teenager and had his breakthrough in 2019, when he released the song “Katten i trakten” (The cat in the area), which reached number one on the Swedish singles chart.

He won several music awards, including a Swedish Grammy. Sweden has in recent years struggled to combat rising shootings and bombings by gangs and organised crime.

“A young life has been put out, and I understand that he meant a lot to many young people. It’s tragic that another life has been lost,” Prime Minister Stefan Löfven told news agency TT.