True Colors (Zedd album)

True Colors
Studio album by Zedd
Released 15 May 2015 (2015-05-15)
Recorded 2014–15
Genre
Length 50:01
Label Interscope
Producer
Zedd chronology
Clarity
(2012)		 True Colors
(2015)
Singles from True Colors
  1. "I Want You to Know"
    Released: 23 February 2015
  2. "Beautiful Now"
    Released: 13 May 2015
  3. "Papercut"
    Released: 17 July 2015
  4. "True Colors"
    Released: 29 April 2016[1]

True Colors is the second studio album by Russian-German electronic music producer Zedd, released on 15 May 2015 through Interscope Records.[2] It features collaborations with singers Jon Bellion, Troye Sivan, rapper Logic and upcoming production duo Botnek. It also features bands such as, Echosmith, Bahari and X Ambassadors. It features other collaborations, of whom are uncredited, such as Julia Michaels, Jacob Luttrell and Tim James. The first single from the album, "I Want You to Know" featuring Selena Gomez was released on 23 February 2015. The single entered the top 20 on Billboard Hot 100, at number 17. On 14 April 2015, Zedd released another track, "Addicted to a Memory" that features the group Bahari, that was released as a promotional single alongside the pre order of the album on iTunes.[3][4] "Beautiful Now", featuring the guest vocals of Jon Bellion, was released on iTunes as the album's second official single. The song was released on 13 May 2015. In July, Zedd announced that he will hold True Colors world tour in support of the album.[5]

The album has achieved moderate success, peaking at number one for Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums, as well as charting on various international charts.

Background

In late February during an interview with a radio station, when answering a question on his album-making processes, Zedd stated that "I'm really far advanced in my album right now. It’s probably still going to take me a good month, month-and-a-half to finish it, you know, the last touches. And then depending on if I can keep that promise of one-and-a-half months, it’s going to come out sooner or later!"[6] In the middle of March, Zedd took on his Twitter and uploaded a series of short videos that teased True Colors. The videos uploaded unveiled a website that was mostly empty except for Zedd's logo and a timer counting down to the March 19, at 5 p.m.[7][8]

On 7 April 2015, Zedd finally released the name, artwork, and release date of the album via Instagram.[9] The artwork features a tree with an array of bright colours as the leaves.[10] He also announced that T-Mobile, through a promotional partnership, offered 250,000 free downloads of the remix of "I Want You to Know" to the fans who followed T-Mobile’s Facebook and Twitter on the morning of 8 April.[11][12]

Promotions

The website revealed the start of a colour-themed promotional campaign for the album that covered 10 North American venues, with a new song to be premiered in each location.[13][14][15] When talking about his album, Zedd remarked that he "...wanted fans to experience the album in a whole new way". He further said that each song is associated with a color, and this is evident through his promotional tour, in which each location has different color scheme to match with the vibe of the song previewed in the location.[16] Zedd commented during the promotional campaign in Los Angeles that, "To me, certain things sound a certain color. A lot of reverb will always sound cold, which will always make me think blue. On this song ("Straight Into the Fire"), the drop is very energetic and very aggressive, kind of like fire, too, so this one was super easy to pick orange."[17] In Austin, the theme colour was purple, while yellow was used in Phoenix, and blue was used in Denver.[15][18]The list of places visited by the tour were:

Date City Final location Song previewed Theme color
19 March 2015 Austin, Texas[19] Longhorn Cavern State Park "Addicted to a Memory" Purple
30 March 2015 Los Angeles, California[20] A desert near Joshua Tree, California "Straight Into the Fire" Orange
9 April 2015 Phoenix, Arizona[21] Lake Pleasant "Bumble Bee" Yellow
14 April 2015 San Francisco, California[22] Alcatraz Island "Transmission" Black
27 April 2015 Denver, Colorado[18] The Stanley Hotel "Illusion" Blue
8 May 2015 Chicago, Illinois[23] Shedd Aquarium "Beautiful Now" Magenta
10 May 2015 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[24] Fonthill Castle "Papercut" White
12 May 2015 Atlanta, Georgia The Inn at Serenbe "Daisy" Green
14 May 2015 Las Vegas, Nevada Grand Canyon "Done With Love" Teal
18 May 2015 New York City, New York Empire State Building "True Colors" Red

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Complex[25]
Pitchfork Media4.2/10[26]
Rolling Stone[27]
Spin6/10[28]
Your EDM9.7/10[29]
NewsdayB[30]
Allmusic[31]

Upon its release, True Colors received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. According to Metacritic, which is based on a weighted average score out of 100 from ratings and reviews from music critics, the album received an average score of 60 points ("mixed or average reviews"), based on 2 positive and 3 mixed reviews.[32]

Singles

"I Want You to Know" was released as the first single from the album on 23 February 2015. It features vocals by Selena Gomez and received generally positive reviews from critics.[33] The music video was released on 10 March 2015, directed by Brent Bonacorso and edited by Anthony Chirco.[34] In a promotion with T-Mobile, a remixed version of the song by Milo & Otis was given to fans who followed the instructions given.

"Beautiful Now" was released as the second single from the album on 13 May 2015. It features vocals by Jon Bellion.[33] A teaser was released for the music video for this song on 26 May 2015 and the music video was released on 11 June 2015.

"Papercut" was released as the third single from the album on 17 July 2015. It features vocals by South African-born Australian actor Troye Sivan.

American singer Kesha appeared during Zedd's slot at the 2016 Coachella festival to perform "True Colors".[35] A studio version of the collaboration was released as a single on 29 April 2016.[1] Rolling Stone editor Brittany Spanos called it a "triumphant return" for Kesha.[36]

Other songs

"Addicted to a Memory" was released as a promotional track to be downloaded when pre-ordered on iTunes beginning 14 April 2015 and was subsequently released to streaming sites such as Spotify and Beats Music later that day. This five-minute track features the American girl group Bahari.[3][37]

"Bumble Bee", a collaboration with Canadian production duo and Dim Mak Records artists Botnek, was announced as the next promotional single to be released from the album. An extended mix of the track was released on 10 July 2015 through Beatport.[38] On the same day, Botnek posted a 31-track DJ mix titled "The Bumble Bee Mix!" to their SoundCloud page in celebration of the release.[39][40] The song became the album's only collaborative track, as well as one of the few club-styled tracks on the album. It features uncredited additional talkbox vocals from Chromeo.

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Addicted to a Memory" (featuring Bahari)
 5:03
2. "I Want You to Know" (featuring Selena Gomez)
 3:59
3. "Beautiful Now" (featuring Jon Bellion)
 3:38
4. "Transmission" (featuring Logic and X Ambassadors)
 4:02
5. "Done with Love"  
 4:56
6. "True Colors"  
  • Zaslavski
  • Armato
  • James
 3:48
7. "Straight Into the Fire"  
 3:41
8. "Papercut" (featuring Troye Sivan)
  • Zaslavski
  • Michaels
  • Martin
  • Robbins
  • Jason Evigan
  • Austin Paul Flores
 7:23
9. "Bumble Bee" (with Botnek)
 4:07
10. "Daisy"  
 2:54
11. "Illusion" (featuring Echosmith)
  • Zaslavski
  • Luttrell
  • Georgia Ku
 6:26
Notes

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[43] 19
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[44] 131
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[45] 187
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[46] 6
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[47] 21
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[48] 50
Italian Albums (FIMI)[49] 51
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[50] 13
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[51] 12
Scottish Albums (OCC)[52] 32
South Korean International Albums (Gaon)[53] 46
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[54] 75
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[55] 14
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[56] 68
UK Albums (OCC)[57] 42
US Billboard 200[58] 4
US Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[59] 1
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[60] 3

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Australia 15 May 2015 Interscope [61]
Germany [62]
United States 18 May 2015 [63][64]
Ireland 3 July 2015 [65]
United Kingdom 6 July 2015 [66]

References

  1. 1 2 Lindner, Emilee (April 27, 2016). "Zedd Announces Joint Project with Kesha". Fuse. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  2. ↑ "iTunes - Music - True Colors by Zedd". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  3. 1 2 Soto, Alfred (17 February 2015). "Zedd Teases ‘True Colors’ With Lush New ‘Addicted to a Memory’". SPIN. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "Zedd on Twitter: "GUYS!!!! My new album #TrueColors is UP for PRE-ORDER!!!!!!! Comes with 1 new song if you pre-order now: http://t.co/p1REPEftcg !!!!!"". Twitter.com. Retrieved 15 April 2015. External link in |title= (help)
  5. ↑ Zedd.net (19 June 2015). "Zedd's True Colors Asian Leg Tour". Zedd.net. Zedd.net. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  6. ↑ "Zedd Talks "I Want You To Know," New Album, & Selena Gomez With Booker! " New Music, Music News, Concerts, Gossip – 97.1 AMP RADIO". Amp.cbslocal.com. 26 February 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  7. ↑ "Is Zedd Counting Down to New Album 'True Colors'? : Buzz". Music Times. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  8. ↑ "Zedd Reveals Album Title, True Colors, & Countdown Website". Youredm.com. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  9. ↑ "NME News Zedd to release new album 'True Colors' in May". Nme.Com. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  10. ↑ "Zedd’s new music album True Colours will release in May | Vh1 India". Vh1.in. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  11. ↑ "Zedd Partners With T-Mobile To Give Away Free "I Want You To Know" Remix". EDMTunes. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  12. ↑ "Zedd's 'True Colors' Set for May Release". Billboard. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  13. ↑ "ZEDD True Colors on Twitter". Twitter.com. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015. "When the countdown ends [...] get moving. 50 people in Austin will get to attend a very special event.
  14. ↑ Hudson, Alex (7 April 2015). "Zedd Shows His 'True Colors' on New Album". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  15. 1 2 "Zedd Reveals All The Colorful Details About His Upcoming Album". MTV. 7 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  16. ↑ "Zedd To Release Eagerly Awaited New Album, True Colors, On May... - SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/". Prnewswire.com. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  17. ↑ "Zedd's "True Colors" Campaign Continues In The Desert". Your EDM. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  18. 1 2 Smith, Cody. "Zedd Premieres New Track At Extravagant, All-Night Party". edm.com. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  19. ↑ "Zedd Threw A Truly Insane Party For Fans In A Cave". Buzzfeed.com. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  20. ↑ Anthony, Brian (30 March 2015). "Zedd threw a fiery listening party for 50 fans in the middle of the desert". Mashable.com. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  21. ↑ "Zedd Throws 50 Phoenix Fans An Unforgettable Party". EDM.com. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  22. ↑ Nelson, Jeff. "Zedd Surprises Fans with Alcatraz Party, True Color Album". People.com. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  23. ↑ "Zedd on Twitter". Twitter.
  24. ↑ "ZEDD True Colors on Twitter". Twitter.
  25. ↑ Khal (21 May 2015). "Review: Zedd Shows His 'True Colors' on His Radio-Ready Sophomore Album". Complex. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  26. ↑ Goble, Corban (21 May 2015). "Zedd: True Colors". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  27. ↑ Murray, Nick (19 May 2015). "Zedd's New Album: True Colors". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  28. ↑ Brown, Harley (20 May 2015). "Review: EDM Titan Zedd’s Orchestral Expansion Lacks Direction on ‘True Colors’". Spin. SpinMedia. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  29. ↑ KSPENCE (19 May 2015). "Zedd beats sophomore slump with true colors". Your EDM. Your EDM. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  30. ↑ Gamboa (15 May 2015). "True Colors review: Zedd's growing pains". Newsday. Newsday. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  31. ↑ David Jeffries. "True Colors - Zedd". Allmusic. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  32. ↑ "True Colors Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  33. 1 2 "Selena Gomez & Zedd's 'I Want You To Know': Listen To The Stars Join Forces". Billboard. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  34. ↑ "Zedd "I Want You To Know" (brent bonacorso, dir.)". VideoStatic. 11 March 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  35. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (April 17, 2016). "See Kesha Perform 'True Colors' With Zedd at Coachella". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  36. ↑ Spanos, Brittany (April 28, 2016). "Hear Kesha's Triumphant Return on Zedd's 'True Colors'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  37. ↑ Middleton, Ryan (14 April 2015). "Zedd Releases "Addicted to a Memory" From Album 'True Colors'". Music Times. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  38. ↑ "Bumble Bee" [Interscope Records] (00602547463616). Beatport. 2015-07-10. Retrieved 10 July 2015
  39. ↑ Josep Vinaixa (14 July 2015). "Zedd & Botnek "Bumble Bee" (Official Single Cover)". Ultimate Music. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  40. ↑ Lombardo, Scott (13 July 2015). "Botnek Celebrates Release of "Bumble Bee" with Killer Mix". EDMTunes. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  41. ↑ Lombardo, Scott (13 July 2015). "Zedd - True Colors - Amazon". Amazon. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  42. ↑ "True Colors - Perfect Edition". iTunes. 30 December 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  43. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Zedd – True Colors". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  44. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Zedd – True Colors" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  45. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Zedd – True Colors" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  46. ↑ "Zedd – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Zedd. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  47. ↑ "Zedd: True Colors" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  48. ↑ "Officialcharts.de – Top 100 Longplay". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  49. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Zedd – True Colors". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  50. ↑ ゼッドのアルバム売上ランキング [Zedd album sales ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  51. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Zedd – True Colors". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  52. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  53. ↑ "2015년 22주차 Album Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  54. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Zedd – True Colors". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  55. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Zedd – True Colors". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  56. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Zedd – True Colors". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  57. ↑ "Zedd | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  58. ↑ "Zedd – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Zedd. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  59. ↑ "Zedd – Chart history" Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums for Zedd. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  60. ↑ "Zedd – Chart history" Billboard Digital Albums for Zedd. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  61. ↑ "True Colors by Zedd, Dance, CD". Sanity.
  62. ↑ "True Colors: Amazon.de: Music". Amazon.de.
  63. ↑ "Amazon.com: Zedd: True Colors: Music". Amazon.com.
  64. ↑ "iTunes – Music – True Colors by Zedd". iTunes Store (US).
  65. ↑ "iTunes – Music – True Colors by Zedd". iTunes Store (IE).
  66. ↑ "iTunes – Music – True Colors by Zedd". iTunes Store (GB).

External links

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