Alphabeat - Boyfriend

What this video is

Released in December 2007 as part of Alphabeat's Danish debut album (originally titled Alphabeat, later retitled This Is Alphabeat for the 2008 European release), 'Boyfriend' emerged during a fertile period for Scandinavian pop breaking into UK and European markets. The song reached number 11 in Denmark and number 15 in the UK. Alphabeat — a six-piece from Silkeborg, Denmark — were part of a broader mid-2000s wave…

Why it matters

Emblematic of the mid-2000s Scandinavian pop export phenomenon, 'Boyfriend' demonstrates how Danish acts leveraged stripped-back, high-energy performance videos with strong graphic identities to compete in the UK market. Eskils' illustrated-set aesthetic became a minor template for…

The director

Swedish director and multi-disciplinary artist who graduated from Swedish film school before relocating to New York, where he worked as an illustrator and graphic designer. He began directing music videos drawing heavily on his design background, developing…