"True Colors" is a song by Russian-German

electronic music Electronic music is a Music genre, genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or electronics, circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromech ...

producer

Zedd Anton Zaslavski (russian: Антон Заславский; born 2 September 1989), known professionally as Zedd (), is a Russian-born German DJ, record producer, and songwriter. Zedd grew up and began his musical journey in Kaiserslautern, G ...

. The original version of the song featured vocals by Tim James and was included on Zedd's second studio album of the same name (2015).

Grey remix

On March 8, 2016, DJ duo

Grey Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be compos ...

released their official remix of "True Colors".

Zedd and Kesha version

The official single is a new version of the track with vocals provided by the American singer

Kesha Kesha Rose Sebert (; born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. In 2005, at age 18, Kesha was signed to Kemosabe Records. Her first major success came in early 2009 after she was featured on Americ ...

and was released as the album's fourth single on April 29, 2016. The song appeared in ''

FIFA 17 ''FIFA 17'' is a football simulation video game developed and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label. It was released in September 2016 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. This is the ...

''.

Background

"True Colors" was Kesha's first music release in over three years, as she had been locked in a

court case A legal case is in a general sense a dispute between opposing parties which may be resolved by a court, or by some equivalent legal process. A legal case is typically based on either civil or criminal law. In most legal cases there are one or mo ...

with her producer

Dr. Luke Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald (born September 26, 1973), known professionally as Dr. Luke, Tyson Trax, and Made in China, is an American record producer and songwriter. His professional music career began in the late-night television sketch comedy ...

, after ten years of alleged abuse. Along with support from other famous celebrities, Zedd offered to produce a song with her. She first performed the song as a guest during Zedd's set at

Coachella Coachella may refer to: * Coachella, California * Coachella Canal, in California * Coachella (festival), an annual music and arts festival in California * "Coachella – Woodstock in My Mind "Coachella – Woodstock In My Mind" is a song by Ame ...

2016. In late April, both Kesha and Zedd posted photos to their social media accounts confirming they were recording together.

Composition

"True Colors" is a mid-tempo

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

in the key of

D minor D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed fo ...

with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

of 126

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

half-time In several team sports, matches are played in two halves. Half-time (also written halftime or half time) is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match. Typically, after half-time, teams swap ends of the field of play in or ...

feel. It follows a chord progression of Dm-C-Gm-Dm. Kesha's vocals span from A₃ (F₃ in backing vocals) to D₅ (F₅ in backing vocals). The track opens and closes with a muted keyboard melody before gradually building to a climax of rollicking drums and bells, a departure from Kesha's previous "party anthem" singles. According to a ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' reviewer, it is "a moody, gothic electro ballad."

Reception

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' editor Brittany Spanos called it a "triumphant return" for Kesha. Comparing it to the album version, she stated "the style is more grandiose" in Kesha's take. Agreeing with the latter, Nigel M. Smith from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' wrote "Kesha's audible rage lends the track a fire that was missing in its earlier incarnation." Lars Brandle of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' wrote the song "is a powerful, moody tune and, lyrically, Kesha is in a fighting frame." August Brown in ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' noted "At Coachella, her surprise appearance had the gravity of something more than just another pop-star cameo. This recorded version is a welcome reminder of Kesha's considerable vocal talent." Lucas Villa of ''

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'' praised Zedd's direction, writing, "Under Dr. Luke, her vocals were mostly processed to hell but with Zedd, Kesha beautifully bellows the song's powerful message." Despite minimal promotion from radios or a major record label, the song sold 52,000 copies in its 1st week and placed at #8 on the U.S ITunes Charts.

Charts

Release history

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2016 singles 2015 songs Zedd songs Kesha songs Interscope Records singles Kemosabe Records singles RCA Records singles Songs written by Tim James (musician) Songs written by Antonina Armato Songs written by Zedd Songs written by Kesha Pop ballads 2010s ballads