Danny Elfman Teams Up With Trent Reznor for Fierce New Rendition of “True”

Singer-songwriter and producer Danny Elfman has joined forces with Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor for a reimagined version of his single “True.” The original track comes from Elfman’s acclaimed double album Big Mess, which came out in June via ANTI-/Epitaph Records.

“This is the first duet/collaboration I’ve ever done in my life, so to do it with Trent was a real surprise and a treat,” Elfman shares about working with Reznor. “He’s always been a big inspiration to me, not to mention he has one of my all-time favorite singing voices.”

Elfman and Reznor’s version of “True” is accompanied by a new music video directed by Aron Johnson, who remixed the song’s original video, which was directed by Sarah Sitkin. Johnson reinterprets the original, adding more warped and eerie imagery.

Watch the music video for “True” here:

Elfman and Reznor’s version of “True” makes the already sinister track more haunted, processing the vocals and adding Reznor’s signature industrial flair. 

The cryptic video distorts the original, taking nature-inspired visuals and making them nearly unrecognizable. Unnerving images of Elfman performing the song give the video a nightmarish quality. 

Elfman announced the release date of Big Mess, his first new album in over 37 years, in April, and shared the original version of “True.” Prior to the album’s release, he shared several singles including “Happy,” “Sorry” and “Kick Me.”

About Big Mess, Elfman said, “This wasn’t a record I ever planned on making.” He went on to explain, how “At times, I had no idea where the music was even coming from. It was all unexpected. But I decided not to resist it either.”

In February of this year, Elfman released the music video for his track “Love In The Time Of Covid,” which stars Glasgow artist Shrek 666. The video features Shrek 666 swiping through dating apps to find love while in quarantine. About the track/video, Elfman explains, “There’s certainly nothing light-hearted or funny about Covid, but I can still poke little fun at the crazy way social isolation has changed our lives in every way shape and form.”