Kesha is back in defiant anthem, The Guardian
“I’m not afraid,” Kesha declares in True Colors, her first song in three years. Not to be confused with Cyndi Lauper’s 80s classic, True Colors is less danceable than Kesha’s last single, Timber, her 2013 collaboration with Pitbull – but it’s no less addictive. [...] Despite the single’s transparent relevance to the singer’s situation, it’s in fact a cover version of a song of the same name released by Zedd, which featured Rock Mafia’s Tim James on vocals. The lyrics remain the same, but Kesha’s audible rage lends the track a fire that was missing in its earlier incarnation. [...] True Colors is still by all means a pop song, but there’s grit in her delivery.
“I've escaped my capture, and I have no master.”,Vanity Fair
As Kesha sings “I won’t apologize for the fire in my eyes,” it’s pretty obvious exactly whom the message is meant for. And in case that didn’t drive it home, perhaps the song’s sole deviation from Zedd’s original lyrics will. Apart from a couple instances in which Kesha changes “we” to “I” throughout the song, Zedd’s original lyrics remain intact—except for the bridge, which originally said, “We’ve escaped our capture/ Yet we have our masters.” Kesha’s version defiantly says, “I've escaped my capture/ And I have no master.”
Kesha Drops a Powerful New Track with Zedd, Makes Us Feel All the Feels,Marie Claire
On the heels of their heartfelt performance at Coachella, Kesha and Zedd have dropped new track "True Colors" along with a music video that's, in a word, liberating.
"This is more than a song," wrote Kesha in the caption for the teaser clip. "This is a declaration of my truth."
The singer's first release since her ongoing legal battle with Dr. Luke began in October 2014, it's a remix of Zedd's original song of the same name. And, in a surprising turn of events, Dr. Luke's Kemosabe Records and RCA actually gave their blessing for it to drop. The lyrics pretty much say it all: "All my life, one page at a time / I'll show you my, my true colors / No, no, no, no, I won't apologize for the fire in my eyes / Let me show you my, my true colors / It ain't your rainbow."
We missed your ✨, Kesha.
Hear Kesha & Zedd’s Powerful Collaboration ‘True Colors’, PopDust
Kesha finally has a moment to breathe. Amidst rape allegations and law suits against producer Dr. Luke, the songbird, all but trapped in her record deal with Kemosabe Records/Sony Music, teams up with EDM mastermind Zedd for one important collaboration. True Colors, which originally appeared on his 2015 studio album of the same name, gets an emotive, raw and truly visceral overhaul. Lest you forget, Kesha is first and foremost a singer’s singer; underneath all the drops and beats of most of her work, there is a voice longing to be heard.
“All my life, one page at a time, I’ll show you my, my true colors,” Kesha declares over a blanket of moody production, piercing through the drums with confidence and vulnerability. “No, no, I won’t apologize for the fire in my eyes. Let me show you my, my true colors, it ain’t your rainbow.”
Later, she goes for the gut, “I’ve escaped my capture, and I have no master. And somehow it’s like I’ve waited all my life…”
For the record, Zedd clarified how the two were able to record and release the song. “We didn’t use any loop holes. Kemosabe / RCA gave us permission to release this song!” the producer tweeted earlier this week. Zedd and Kesha first debuted the collaboration at this year’s Coachella festival.
Kesha works with Zedd, not Dr. Luke, on the new single 'True Colors', Los Angeles Times
Though the 29-year-old singer is still under contract with Dr. Luke’s Kemosabe label, on “True Colors,” she teams up with German EDM producer Zedd, whom she performed with at the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
“True Colors” is not the fierce battle cry you might expect from the girl who has come to symbolize female artists’ fight for empowerment in a very male, very misogynistic music industry (her last full album was titled “Warrior,” after all).
See the most-read entertainment stories >>
The song is instead a graceful and even subdued reentry for the singer: “I won’t apologize for the fire in my eyes,” she sings over sweeping arrangements. “Let me show you my true colors / It ain’t your rainbow.”
Though the lyrics may seem timely and personal a la Beyonce’s “Lemonade,” it should be noted that “True Colors” isn’t a Kesha original; it’s a 2015 Zedd track revised with her on lead vocals.
Still, as her most anticipated release — probably ever — it’s hardly a letdown.
Kesha’s voice soars here, no party-posturing needed. It turns out that the woman who once claimed in a morning-after rasp that she brushed her “teeth with a bottle of Jack” (Daniels, that is) can keep up with Ellie Goulding and Sia as a golden voice atop the blockbuster EDM track. While it’s not a new role for Kesha, it’s certainly a stylistic shift.
[...]
The singer didn’t squander the goodwill. She belted the number, her voice brimming with emotion, as if to say “I’m Back.”
Kesha Emerges Defiant And Optimistic On 'True Colors', Her First Single In Three Years,NME
It’s been three years since Kesha released a single. That was ‘Timber’, the ridiculously fun club banger recorded with human cartoon Pitbull in 2013, a bizarre but brilliant rap/EDM/country mash-up that could fail to raise a smile only from the most miserly music snob. Much has changed since then, of course. Kesha has recently made headlines for the most depressing of reasons, caught in a legal battle with her producer Dr. Luke, aka 42-year-old Lukasz Gottwald.Now, though, the 29-year-old pop star, who introduced herself to world via the 2009 single ‘Tik Tok’ with the boast "Woke up this morning feelin’ like P Diddy”, has found a way around the obstacles stacked against her.
Kesha has taken up the offer from Zedd, who later clarified that the resulting track, ‘True Colours', was produced with the permission of Dr. Luke’s record label. It’s not a new song; a different version appeared on Zedd’s album of the same name in 2015.
It’s still a moody, gothic electro ballad, but knowledge of Kesha’s legal wrangles weigh heavy on this new version, imbuing the lyrics, which address overcoming hardship and knowing your own worth, with powerful new meaning. “I’m not afraid,” Kesha belts out defiantly. “I won’t apologise for the fire in my eyes /Let me show you my true colours / It ain’t your rainbow.” I’m here for me, Kesha is saying – not you.
This new ‘True Colors’ is so sonically similar to the original that it feels less like a full comeback than Kesha dipping her toe back into music, though it’s still a rousing, emotive ballad on its own terms. Overall, it’s great to see a #freekesha, even if just for one song.
