Ants was born in
North London to a Romanian father, who would play
Latin-American music around the house, and a Sierra Leone mother, who loved
MoTown classics. When Ants turned seven, he got his first CD player and a copy of
50 Cent's 2007 album
Curtis, sparking his passion for
hip-hop and spurring him to download
torrents of rap through
LimeWire. At the wish of his grandma, he started to write poetry aged just eight. Before he became devoted to music, Ants also had a passion for sport. He was scouted for Chelsea's U16 when he was six-years-old, and he practised football six days a week until he turned 16. Before going solo when Covid hit, AntsLive and his friends Tejy, an R&B singer from North West London and producer Jay Blu formed the trio Trademark. ==Awards==