Exclusive: Swedish Pop Sensation Midnight Boy Debuts ‘Don’t Say No’ Video

In terms of LGBT history, the 1980s were both a troubled, and yet, triumphant era. On one side, the decade is marked by the rise of Reagan, vehemently religious conservatism, and the AIDS crisis that decimated the gay community. Conversely, cultural norms concerning gender and sexuality were being subverted and supplanted in the mainstream.

Hair metal made makeup manly and New Wave forced androgyny into vogue. Many of today's legendary pop divas -- Madonna, Kylie, the late Whitney Houston -- all began their careers then. Thus, for all of turmoil and tumult that characterized the 1980s, the decade did bring with it some high points, and it's important that we celebrate them.

Sweden's newest pop sensation, Midnight Boy, certainly is. "The 80s were all about craziness and very little about boundaries, which I find very inspiring," says the flamboyant pop artist. "I think we all should be more experimental instead of being judgmental about when it comes to other's identities and have more of an open mind when it comes to ourselves and the people around us."

In the video for "Don't Say No," Midnight Boy pays a sincere homage to the gloriously glam titans of the New Wave, all the while using the broad strokes of generic convention to sketch an all-in-good-fun caricature of the New Romantics. It's a move toward unabashed nightclub exuberance -- so slap on some guy-liner, take off your shirt, and feel the fantasy.

Watch the video for "Don't Say No" below: