Premiere: 3K drop the animated clip for their latest single, Ni Hao

3K is a group that's been on our radar for over a year now, with the Melbourne-based hip-hop outfit being one of our stand-out sets at BIGSOUND 2019. There's a good reason for that too; the group is notorious for their energetic live shows that quickly made them a must-see in a pre-pandemic world, and while it's been unfortunate that no-one has really had the opportunity to see the group live over the last few months, we don't doubt that their return to the live stage is going to be just as explosive.

Despite the lack of live shows this year, 3K haven't exactly kept quiet. They bounced into 2020 coming off the high that is their Agung Mango-featuring collaborative EP OPENFORBUSINESS and they've kept that EP's core in experimentalism and class into 2020 as well. Earlier in the year, they dropped a new single titled Bring A Friend and a back in early September they followed it up with their second track for the year in Ni Hao, which doubled down on their craft in a bit of a different way than their past work.

For a group so recognisable for their high-octane, high-energy output, Ni Hao moves at a bit of a more subtle and slow pace, focusing more on this R&B-aligned side of the group that's further brought out by gun producer GXNXVS (someone who knows his way around a gentle R&B pace). It still captures their invigorating charm, but it does so in a bit of a different way - one that gives people something to dive into when they want something that still carries that distinct 3K sound, but for when they're feeling for something a little less in-your-face than their work previously.

Today, we're stoked to premiere the official animated video clip for the track, which doubles down on The Boondocks-like styling of the single's cover art - and the accompanying Instagram Filter which launched on release - with the help of director Shady Trees and animator Zachary James. It's an inventive way to bring the track new energy even amongst the lockdowns in their home city of Melbourne, capturing the single visually in a way that's a little more out-of-the-box than just your stock-standard lockdown clip.

It really helps further 3K's year even despite everything thrown against them, and after what's no doubt been a challenging, live-absent year for a group so notorious for their in-real-life energy, Ni Hao signals better times incoming, especially with the video's arrival just as Victoria emerges out of lockdown today.

You can take a dive into the video clip below as it premieres on Pilerats, and underneath that, we caught up with the group to find out what their latest single entails for the future, and how they've kept creative over the last few months:

What is 3K?

Our music is a means to envision what all four of us have experienced throughout our lives in Melbourne. Portrayed so listeners/viewers can visualize Melbourne through our perspective. From homelessness to being incarcerated overseas, our sound has developed with our experiences. Nothing to witness but litness.

Does Ni Hao represent a new 3K sound?

It definitely does. Our music depicts different feelings at different periods of time. We’re always testing our limits, so expect different vibes from us. Ni Hao was a song to ease the fans into a more developed sound we’re working on. We can’t say too much, but keep your eyes peeled and expect each project to be more progressive.

Melbourne has been in lockdown for 6 months. How’s it been?

It’s been trash. As artists our muse is the outside world, the inability to be outside has been challenging. But on a positive note, with the free time we have, we allocate our time into developing as artists.

Have you guys been able to stay consistently creative?

The want and hunger to achieve our goals, has kept us all motivated to stay working towards our vision.

What was the process of creating the Ni Hao music video?

At first, we had a video planned out. COVID-19 restrictions forced us to cancel our live shoots. So we had to compromise with an animation video. We recreated shots through animation that we would have used in our actual video. We collaborated with @halfcastgoon (he spent lockdown learning how to animate, to help us produce our vision for the video) and we were able to come out with this video.

What next for 3K?

We’re working on our best project yet. Expect the unexpected. This has been 3K and we miss you guys.

Follow 3K: FACEBOOK