# Colors (Halsey song)
**"Colors"** is a song by the American singer and songwriter Halsey from her debut studio album *[Badlands](https://www.edgepedia.org/badlands-halsey-album)*, released on August 28, 2015 through [Astralwerks](https://www.edgepedia.org/astralwerks).[1](https://songsense.io/halsey/colors) A contemporary review in *The Santa Barbara Independent* described it as "a beautiful synesthetic love song" on an album the reviewer characterized as dark, bass-driven electro-pop.[2](https://www.independent.com/2015/12/01/halsey-debuts-darkly-badlands/) The song uses color as a metaphor for emotional states.[1](https://songsense.io/halsey/colors)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Album | *Badlands*, Halsey's debut studio album, released August 28, 2015 on Astralwerks[1](https://songsense.io/halsey/colors) • [3](https://lyricsweb.com/album/halsey/badlands-deluxe-edition) |
| Album performance | *Badlands* debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 115,000 equivalent units, the highest-charting release in Astralwerks' history at that point[3](https://lyricsweb.com/album/halsey/badlands-deluxe-edition) |
| Musical key and tempo | B♭ minor, 100 BPM, 4/4 meter; melody range B♭4 to A♭5[4](https://www.hooktheory.com/theorytab/view/halsey/colors) |
| Genre tags | Pop, Dance/Electronic, Singer-Songwriter[4](https://www.hooktheory.com/theorytab/view/halsey/colors) |
| Music video | Stars Tyler Posey[5](https://bsidemusicstories.com/artists/halsey/) |
| Live release | A version appears on *BADLANDS (Live From Webster Hall)*[6](https://music.apple.com/us/song/1529210292) |
## Musical characteristics
According to the Hooktheory theory-tab analysis, "Colors" is set in B♭ minor at a tempo of 100 BPM in common (4/4) time, with a melody spanning from B♭4 up to A♭5, and is tagged pop, dance/electronic, and singer-songwriter.[4](https://www.hooktheory.com/theorytab/view/halsey/colors) The analysis rates the song's mood as moody and identifies the VI chord as the most used chord in the chorus.[4](https://www.hooktheory.com/theorytab/view/halsey/colors)
An academic study of figurative language in Halsey's selected song lyrics included "Colors" among the songs analyzed, alongside "The Feeling," "Without Me," "Haunting," "Ghost," "Walls Could Talk," and "Nightmare."[7](https://jurnal.ubl.ac.id/index.php/bl/article/download/1823/1872)
## Release context
"Colors" appeared on *Badlands*, an album Halsey wrote at 19 years old, channeling a turbulent mental state into a fictional dystopia; the album debuted at number two on the [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) 200 with 115,000 equivalent units.[3](https://lyricsweb.com/album/halsey/badlands-deluxe-edition) In an Interview Magazine conversation around the album's release, Halsey described *Badlands* as a metaphor for what was in her head, a dystopian civilization she had imagined down to questions like "What do the colors look like?"[8](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/halsey-badlands) She told *Dazed* that *Badlands* was a very tangible record, with sounds built from actual objects, pots and pans, rocks, voices, and instruments used in a way to create a landscape of sound.[9](https://dev2.dazeddigital.com/music/article/28670/1/halsey-a-brand-new-type-of-pop-star)
A live recording appears on *BADLANDS (Live From Webster Hall)*.[6](https://music.apple.com/us/song/1529210292)
## Reception and later appearances
"Colors" is considered a fan favorite and one of the standout tracks from *Badlands*.[1](https://songsense.io/halsey/colors) A follow-up song, "Colors pt. II," appears in Halsey's live performance statistics on setlist.fm.[10](https://www.setlist.fm/stats/songs/halsey-1bd961dc.html?songid=2bced436) For the album's tenth anniversary in 2025, Halsey brought the *Badlands* universe back into the present with new music videos featuring the protagonists of "Ghost," "Colors," and "New Americana," coinciding with her Back to Badlands tour.[11](https://los40.com/2025/09/03/halsey-regresa-a-badlands-10-anos-despues-para-constatar-su-madurez-artistica-a-traves-de-gasoline-y-drive/) • [12](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/halsey-badlands-anniversary-tour-interview-1235412996/)
## References
1. [Meaning of "Colors" by Halsey, SongSense](https://songsense.io/halsey/colors)
2. [Halsey Debuts Darkly with 'Badlands', The Santa Barbara Independent (December 1, 2015)](https://www.independent.com/2015/12/01/halsey-debuts-darkly-badlands/)
3. [BADLANDS (Deluxe Edition) by Halsey, LyricsWeb](https://lyricsweb.com/album/halsey/badlands-deluxe-edition)
4. [Colors by Halsey Chords, Melody, and Music Theory Analysis, Hooktheory](https://www.hooktheory.com/theorytab/view/halsey/colors)
5. [Halsey, B.SIDE Music Stories](https://bsidemusicstories.com/artists/halsey/)
6. [Colors - Song by Halsey, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/song/1529210292)
7. [The Analysis of Figurative Language in Halsey's Selected Songs Lyric, Journal of UBL (2020)](https://jurnal.ubl.ac.id/index.php/bl/article/download/1823/1872)
8. [Halsey's Uncharted Territory, Interview Magazine](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/halsey-badlands)
9. [Halsey: a brand new type of pop star, Dazed](https://dev2.dazeddigital.com/music/article/28670/1/halsey-a-brand-new-type-of-pop-star)
10. [Colors pt. II by Halsey Song Statistics, setlist.fm](https://www.setlist.fm/stats/songs/halsey-1bd961dc.html?songid=2bced436)
11. [Halsey regresa a 'Badlands' 10 años después, LOS40 (2025)](https://los40.com/2025/09/03/halsey-regresa-a-badlands-10-anos-despues-para-constatar-su-madurez-artistica-a-traves-de-gasoline-y-drive/)
12. [Halsey Goes Back to the Badlands, Rolling Stone Australia](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/halsey-badlands-anniversary-tour-interview-1235412996/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › Pop songs › Pop songs of the 2010s › Pop songs of the late 2010s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license