Kesha's New Single 'True Colors' Changes Original Lyrics to Make for a 'Defiant' Comeback
Kesha is back. After three years, the singer-songwriter drops a new single in collaboration with EDM artist Zedd.
Titled "True Colors," the new song is actually a cover of the original piece that features Tim James of Rock Mafia on vocals. However, Kesha's version has subtle changes to the lyrics which resulted in a pop song that was more of a "powerful" personal ballad, according to Bustle. As Kesha herself said: "This is more than a song. it's a declaration of my truth #truecolors."
From "It ain't no rainbow" in the original, Kesha's version says "It ain't your rainbow." From "We've escaped our capture," the cover says "I've escaped my capture." From "Yet we have our masters," the new version says "And I have no master." In general, the original song took out "we" for "I," making the song more significant for Kesha and her fans. These minor adjustments in the lyrics make the song not only personal but also turns it into a "defiant anthem" with regards to the artist's ongoing and heavily publicized legal battle with Dr. Luke, the famous producer whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald.
Kesha first debut the song on April 17. She was a surprise guest during Zedd's set at Coachella, a California music and arts festival. The new single was officially released on Friday, April 29, which also saw new music launch from Drake, Calvin Harris and Rihanna, and a number of other artists.
Billboard says the song took the no. 3 spot on its Trending 140 chart within the first 11 hours of release. The publication also notes that although this demonstrates Kesha is still a viable commercial artist, it's not clear if this will be enough for another company to buy her out of her Kemosabe deal. Kemosabe is Dr. Luke's record label.
