Songfacts®:

• "True Colours" is an anthem fueled by Becky Hill's experience with sexual assault. At 21, a trusted friend violated her, and the pain lingered for years. She kept it bottled up, fearing disbelief from her friends, a fear sadly confirmed when she finally spoke out. However, the tables turned, and those friends ultimately saw the perpetrator's true colors.
• The song isn't just about the assault; it's about reclaiming power. "I want to talk about [sexual assault] to show people I don't feel shame anymore," Hill told The Guardian. "I think that's the biggest part of the healing process."
  
  Hill refuses to carry the burden of shame. She believes society needs to move past "the idea that there's guilt or regret. Just boil it down to the weight being on the perpetrator."
• Hill co-wrote the song with fellow survivor Lauren Aquilina [Rina Sawayama, Little Mix]. "I knew I could only write about it with somebody who really understood what I'd been through," she told NME. "I didn't want it to be a sad song though, because the experience never made me sad. It made me f---ing furious."
  
  Hill added: "It's the hardest song I've ever written but it was also a super cathartic experience."
• Writing "True Colours" was a long journey for Becky Hill. After the assault, she attempted the song multiple times, but a turning point came when she reported it to the police. "It's probably the bravest thing I've ever done in my entire life," she said. "I know it's not something everyone can do but I felt such self-confidence from reclaiming that situation."
• Alongside Lauren Aquilina, Hill's close friend and frequent collaborator MNEK, Clean Bandit's Jack Patterson, and the track's producer Mark Ralph also helped her write the song.
• Singer-songwriter Self Esteem, whom Hill has admired for a long time, sings the second verse. After meeting at the Brit Awards 2024, Hill invited Self Esteem to collaborate, adding another powerful voice to the track.
• "True Colours" is the heart of Hill's second album, Believe Me Now? The title is a plea from the song's chorus:
  
  So, do you believe me now?
  Do you believe, true colours, do you believe me now?
• The relentless repetition of "believe me now" (31 times!) is targeted at those who doubted her assault story. "The album title Believe Me Now? is directed at the people who didn't believe me when I was younger and made me feel like I had to work to prove my innocence in that situation," Hill told NME.
  
  The title is also aimed at the people who didn't believe in Hill when she first started out. "I was constantly told I was just a feature and that nobody would ever really care who Becky Hill was," she said. "I've been the underdog this whole time, and now I feel like I'm not anymore. In the UK, at least."
  
  Thirdly, it's directed at herself. "I truly believe that I'm doing this job for the little child inside of me that never thought she was good enough to do it," said Hill. "I wake up every day trying to prove to her that she is absolutely f---ing good enough, worthy and lovable."