When Abel Tesfaye chopped off his signature pineapple hair in 2016, he wasn't just changing his look. He was killing a persona. On the Starboy album, The Weeknd True Colors stands out as a weirdly vulnerable pivot point in a tracklist otherwise obsessed with Ferraris and "Party Monster" antics.
Honestly, most people skip right past it to get to the Daft Punk collaborations. That's a mistake.
While the radio was busy blasting "I Feel It Coming," True Colors was doing the heavy lifting of actually humanizing the man behind the XO brand. It’s a slow-burn R&B track that feels like it belongs in a late-90s bedroom playlist, but the lyrics are way more paranoid than your average slow jam. You’ve probably heard it and thought it was just another love song.
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It’s not. It’s a high-stakes interrogation wrapped in silk.
The Production Team Behind the Sound
The credits for this track read like a "who’s who" of pop royalty from the mid-2010s. You’ve got Benny Blanco, Cashmere Cat, and Jake One all stirring the pot.
- Benny Blanco: Known for massive pop hooks, he brings a certain polish that keeps the song from feeling too underground.
- Cashmere Cat: This is where the "stuttering" textures and that ethereal, almost liquid atmosphere come from.
- Jake One: He’s a hip-hop vet, and you can hear that in the weight of the drums. They aren't aggressive, but they have a "thump" that keeps the song grounded.
Sampling-wise, it’s remarkably clean. Unlike "Secrets," which famously flips Tears for Fears and The Romantics, True Colors relies on its own melodic legs. It’s written in F Major, which is traditionally a "bright" key, but the way Abel sings makes it feel nocturnal. The tempo sits at a relaxed 63 BPM. It's slow. It's steady. It's meant to make you lean in.
What is The Weeknd True Colors Actually About?
There’s a lot of debate on Reddit and in fan circles about who this song is directed toward. In 2016, Abel was famously linked with Bella Hadid. The timeline fits. But the song isn’t a celebratory "I love you."
It’s a demand for transparency.
The lyrics basically say: "I know you have a past. I have one too. Just tell me your secrets before I hear them from some random person on the street."
"Tell me the truth, baby girl, who else been with you? / It's gon' come to my attention either way."
This is the central tension of the track. Abel is trying to play the mature partner who "understands we all had a past," but there’s a flicker of that old Trilogy-era toxicity underneath. He’s essentially saying he’ll accept her flaws, but only if he gets to be the one to catalog them.
Why the Song Divides Fans
Some listeners find the lyrics a bit hypocritical. If you look at Abel's entire discography up to that point, he’s not exactly the poster child for monogamy or emotional honesty. To have him suddenly demanding "confessions of a new lover" feels a bit rich to some.
However, others see it as the first sign of the "After Hours" version of The Weeknd—a man tired of the games and looking for something real, even if he doesn't quite know how to handle "real" yet.
The Evolution of the Starboy Narrative
If you look at Starboy as a loose concept album, True Colors is the moment where the bravado slips.
- Starboy/Party Monster: Pure ego. Fast cars. No feelings.
- False Alarm: Chaos. He realizes he's falling for someone "dangerous."
- Secrets: Paranoia kicks in. He knows she’s lying.
- True Colors: The confrontation. He wants the mask to come off.
It’s a specific beat in a story about a guy trying to reconcile his "villain" persona with the fact that he’s actually catching feelings. It’s neo-soul with a side of anxiety.
Impact and Legacy in 2026
Looking back from where we are now, The Weeknd True Colors was a bridge. Without the vulnerability shown here, we might never have gotten the raw heartbreak of My Dear Melancholy or the cinematic desperation of Dawn FM.
It’s one of his most "human" vocal performances. No heavy distortion. No screaming. Just a clean, soulful delivery that proves he can actually sing circles around most of his peers without the studio magic.
How to Get the Most Out of This Track
If you want to actually "hear" what the producers were doing, stop listening to it on your phone speakers.
- Use open-back headphones: The layering of the synths by Cashmere Cat is subtle. You’ll miss the "air" in the track otherwise.
- Listen in sequence: Play "Secrets" immediately followed by "True Colors." The transition in themes—from "I know you're lying" to "Please just be real with me"—is the best way to experience the narrative.
- Watch the lyrics: Pay attention to the second verse. It’s where he admits he's heard "different stories" about her. It changes the song from a sweet ballad to a tense conversation.
The song is a keeper. Even a decade later, it hits different when you realize it’s the moment the Starboy started to crack.
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Next Steps for XO Fans:
If you want to understand the sonic roots of this track, go back and listen to "Tell Your Friends" from Beauty Behind the Madness. It’s the spiritual predecessor to the "honest" Abel we hear on True Colors. You can also compare the production style to Benny Blanco’s more recent work with Selena Gomez to see how his "minimalist-pop" style has evolved over the last few years.
To really dive into the technical side, check out the official sheet music; the vocal range required (D4 to A5) explains why it’s one of the harder songs for fans to cover accurately on YouTube.