NIK NAVY rolled onto the scene back in late 2017 with his debut single 'Two Ways', and finally returned last month with his follow up 'Colour Me'. Keeping in line with the previous single, 'Colour Me' is a soulful slow jam of sorts, built around smooth synthesisers, minimal beats and Nik’s masterfully upfront vocals.

Opening with muted keys, Nik's voice is quick to become the centre of the track - full with emotion, he weaves a soulful melody laced with poignant lyrics referencing last year's same-sex marriage debate. It's easy to take Nik's airy voice as melancholic, however, the lilting chorus with the refrain "colour me hopeful" shifts the mood and serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience of Australia's LGBT+ community.

To accompany the single is a brand new clip created by local visual artist Nyssa Mitchell. Echoing the minimal nature of the track, we see Nik singing directly to the audience with a background of muted colours, interspersed with shots of two dancers moving fluidly. While the clip isn't particularly specific to the song, it packs a similar sense of emotion and manages to travel past our consciousness and hit something deeper.

To celebrate the new clip, we had a chat with Nik to find out all about 'Colour Me' and what he has coming up next.

TJ: Hey Nik, for those who are yet to be acquainted with you and your music, what's the story?

NN: I’m a singer/producer/songwriter from Melbourne who makes electronic music that is all about bold and honest storytelling. I like to play with blending piano and synth sounds together, with my voice and lyrics as the main kind of focal point. I try to make music that has an emotive backbone, so it all comes from a pretty raw place.

Your new single 'Colour Me' feels incredibly personal - could you tell us the story behind the track?

Yeah, 'Colour Me' is a track that is pretty close to my heart. It is a reflection on my experiences as a gay man in Australia during the same-sex marriage plebiscite that happened last year. It was a pretty strange time so I wrote this track as a cathartic way of processing everything. I always like to have someone in mind when I’m writing lyrics, so I essentially directed this track to the politicians and whatnot that were so against it happening and so against the life I live. I didn’t expect their discussions and comments to affect me as much as they did, so I tried to capture that raw feeling but in a positive, hopeful kind of way.

The video clip is also really impressive, managing to feel stripped back and minimal yet quite poignant. Tell us about the process putting this together?

Thank you, I’m super happy with it! I collaborated with my friend Nyssa Mitchell (who hilariously has the same last name as me) on this one, which was such an enjoyable process. We really tried to capture the minimal and intimate essence of the song in a visual context. I wanted it to feel like I was talking directly to the audience in a really personal way. I love working with dance and I think it really adds another level so beautifully in this kind of context, so I worked with the wonderful Ashley Dougan and Luke Romero. I’m so pleased with the end result!

'Colour Me' is just your second release, following up from 'Two Ways' which you dropped last year. Any idea when we can be hearing any more?

I’m working on another track at the moment and it is so close to being done! Should be out very, very soon, so keep your eyes peeled on all my socials…

How is rest of 2018 shaping up for NIK NAVY?

I have a few gigs lined up for the rest of the year, including the 'Colour Me' Single Launch on Thursday which I’m super excited for, so there’s a real focus on getting the live set up and running. It is nice getting these tracks out of my bedroom and onto a stage, which is what I really love doing. Also working on a tonne of new music, which will be gearing towards my debut EP early next year. Plenty going on and I’m really looking forward to sharing it with everyone!