Is This the Best Music Video About HIV Ever?

The international music sensation known only as Nico & Vinz have become a smash on the European entertainment scene but now this Oslo, Norway, singing/songwriting duo — who sound reminiscent of The Police with hip hop and reggae influences— are moving American as well. The duo (made up of Nico Sereba and Vincent Dery) sing frequently bousterously happy songs about love, life, and identity and their latest song and music video has a similarly uplifting resonance. 

With "My Melody," Nico & Vinz once again use their art to carry a message by highlighting stories of the those living with HIV and AIDS intertwined with contemplative rhythms, all in hopes of humanizing their experiences. 

"'My Melody' is about the stigma and ignorance surrounding HIV/AIDS," Vinz told The FADER. "The video reflects upon the subject and it was important to us to have real people in the video with the virus to tell about their experiences."

The video, from their debut album Black Star Elephant, was released in time for National Black AIDS Awareness Day. "People live full lives with AIDS, but it doesn't define them," explains Nico. "These are people with real stories. It's really inspiring to see the strength people have."

It helps to put good music to the message as well. The songwriters of Ivorian and Ghanian backgrounds respectively fused their varied eclectic influences—from pop to reggae, West African dance to hip hop, rock to soul—to create an engaging sound featuring soul-stirring messages that claim high hopes for the future. “We are Norwegian and African,” Vinz says, “It is important for us to inspire. We sing about things we’ve been going through and about finding ourselves. To us it’s important to have a message, and the goal for us is to inspire people to find happiness.”

The guys also added a get tested message to the video's release. For more information on how and where to get tested, visit FreeHIVTest.net.