diff --git a/powerline/renderer.py b/powerline/renderer.py
index 1cc5eaa8..75754d4a 100644
--- a/powerline/renderer.py
+++ b/powerline/renderer.py
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ class Renderer(object):
 
 		if not width:
 			# No width specified, so we don't need to crop or pad anything
-			return self._returned_value(u''.join([segment['_rendered_hl'] for segment in segments]) + self.hl(), segments, output_raw)
+			return self._returned_value(u''.join([segment['_rendered_hl'] for segment in segments]) + self.hlstyle(), segments, output_raw)
 
 		# Create an ordered list of segments that can be dropped
 		segments_priority = [segment for segment in sorted(segments, key=lambda segment: segment['priority'], reverse=True) if segment['priority'] > 0]
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ class Renderer(object):
 					segment['_space_right'] += space_side
 			segments_spacers[0]['_space_right'] += distribute_len_remainder
 
-		rendered_highlighted = u''.join([segment['_rendered_hl'] for segment in self._render_segments(mode, theme, segments)]) + self.hl()
+		rendered_highlighted = u''.join([segment['_rendered_hl'] for segment in self._render_segments(mode, theme, segments)]) + self.hlstyle()
 
 		return self._returned_value(rendered_highlighted, segments, output_raw)
 
@@ -177,5 +177,8 @@ class Renderer(object):
 		b = int & 0xff
 		return r, g, b
 
-	def hl(self, contents=None, fg=None, bg=None, attr=None):
+	def hlstyle(fg=None, bg=None, attr=None):
 		raise NotImplementedError
+
+	def hl(self, contents, fg=None, bg=None, attr=None):
+		return self.hlstyle(fg, bg, attr) + (contents or u'')
diff --git a/powerline/renderers/bash_prompt.py b/powerline/renderers/bash_prompt.py
index dbc30692..82e87dce 100644
--- a/powerline/renderers/bash_prompt.py
+++ b/powerline/renderers/bash_prompt.py
@@ -5,13 +5,13 @@ from powerline.renderers.shell import ShellRenderer
 
 class BashPromptRenderer(ShellRenderer):
 	'''Powerline bash prompt segment renderer.'''
-	def hl(self, contents=None, fg=None, bg=None, attr=None):
+	def hlstyle(self, fg=None, bg=None, attr=None):
 		'''Highlight a segment.
 
 		Returns the default ShellRenderer escape sequence with \[...\] wrapped
 		around it (required in bash prompts).
 		'''
-		return '\[' + super(BashPromptRenderer, self).hl(None, fg, bg, attr) + '\]' + (contents or u'')
+		return '\[' + super(BashPromptRenderer, self).hlstyle(fg, bg, attr) + '\]'
 
 	@staticmethod
 	def escape(string):
diff --git a/powerline/renderers/ipython.py b/powerline/renderers/ipython.py
index e8122093..8c6e5a54 100644
--- a/powerline/renderers/ipython.py
+++ b/powerline/renderers/ipython.py
@@ -5,5 +5,5 @@ from powerline.renderers.shell import ShellRenderer
 
 class IpythonRenderer(ShellRenderer):
 	'''Powerline ipython segment renderer.'''
-	def hl(self, *args, **kwargs):
-		return '\x01' + super(IpythonRenderer, self).hl(*args, **kwargs) + '\x02'
+	def hlstyle(self, *args, **kwargs):
+		return '\x01' + super(IpythonRenderer, self).hlstyle(*args, **kwargs) + '\x02'
diff --git a/powerline/renderers/pango_markup.py b/powerline/renderers/pango_markup.py
index b49cc618..b3c40ab2 100644
--- a/powerline/renderers/pango_markup.py
+++ b/powerline/renderers/pango_markup.py
@@ -6,11 +6,13 @@ from powerline.renderer import Renderer
 class PangoMarkupRenderer(Renderer):
 	'''Powerline Pango markup segment renderer.'''
 
-	def hl(self, contents=None, fg=None, bg=None, attr=None):
-		'''Highlight a segment.'''
+	@staticmethod
+	def hlstyle(*args, **kwargs):
 		# We don't need to explicitly reset attributes, so skip those calls
-		if not contents or (not attr and not bg and not fg):
-			return ''
+		return ''
+
+	def hl(self, contents, fg=None, bg=None, attr=None):
+		'''Highlight a segment.'''
 		awesome_attr = []
 		if fg is not None:
 			if fg is not False and fg[1] is not False:
diff --git a/powerline/renderers/shell.py b/powerline/renderers/shell.py
index d4708b34..deaf2169 100644
--- a/powerline/renderers/shell.py
+++ b/powerline/renderers/shell.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ from powerline.renderer import Renderer
 
 class ShellRenderer(Renderer):
 	'''Powerline shell segment renderer.'''
-	def hl(self, contents=None, fg=None, bg=None, attr=None):
+	def hlstyle(self, fg=None, bg=None, attr=None):
 		'''Highlight a segment.
 
 		If an argument is None, the argument is ignored. If an argument is
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ class ShellRenderer(Renderer):
 			else:
 				if attr & Renderer.ATTR_BOLD:
 					ansi += [1]
-		return '[{0}m'.format(';'.join(str(attr) for attr in ansi)) + (contents or u'')
+		return '[{0}m'.format(';'.join(str(attr) for attr in ansi))
 
 	@staticmethod
 	def escape(string):
diff --git a/powerline/renderers/tmux.py b/powerline/renderers/tmux.py
index df232a15..ce9e4ff0 100644
--- a/powerline/renderers/tmux.py
+++ b/powerline/renderers/tmux.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ from powerline.renderer import Renderer
 
 class TmuxRenderer(Renderer):
 	'''Powerline tmux segment renderer.'''
-	def hl(self, contents=None, fg=None, bg=None, attr=None):
+	def hlstyle(self, fg=None, bg=None, attr=None):
 		'''Highlight a segment.'''
 		# We don't need to explicitly reset attributes, so skip those calls
 		if not attr and not bg and not fg:
@@ -37,4 +37,4 @@ class TmuxRenderer(Renderer):
 					tmux_attr += ['underscore']
 				else:
 					tmux_attr += ['nounderscore']
-		return '#[' + ','.join(tmux_attr) + ']' + (contents or u'')
+		return '#[' + ','.join(tmux_attr) + ']'
diff --git a/powerline/renderers/vim.py b/powerline/renderers/vim.py
index 6548f9b9..86a587b5 100644
--- a/powerline/renderers/vim.py
+++ b/powerline/renderers/vim.py
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ class VimRenderer(Renderer):
 	def escape(string):
 		return string.replace('%', '%%')
 
-	def hl(self, contents=None, fg=None, bg=None, attr=None):
+	def hlstyle(self, fg=None, bg=None, attr=None):
 		'''Highlight a segment.
 
 		If an argument is None, the argument is ignored. If an argument is
@@ -97,4 +97,4 @@ class VimRenderer(Renderer):
 					guibg='#{0:06x}'.format(hl_group['guibg']) if hl_group['guibg'] != 'NONE' else 'NONE',
 					attr=','.join(hl_group['attr']),
 				))
-		return '%#' + self.hl_groups[(fg, bg, attr)]['name'] + '#' + (contents or u'')
+		return '%#' + self.hl_groups[(fg, bg, attr)]['name'] + '#'
diff --git a/powerline/renderers/zsh_prompt.py b/powerline/renderers/zsh_prompt.py
index 6d292ccd..08e0977b 100644
--- a/powerline/renderers/zsh_prompt.py
+++ b/powerline/renderers/zsh_prompt.py
@@ -5,13 +5,13 @@ from powerline.renderers.shell import ShellRenderer
 
 class ZshPromptRenderer(ShellRenderer):
 	'''Powerline zsh prompt segment renderer.'''
-	def hl(self, contents=None, fg=None, bg=None, attr=None):
+	def hlstyle(self, fg=None, bg=None, attr=None):
 		'''Highlight a segment.
 
 		Returns the default ShellRenderer escape sequence with %{...%} wrapped
 		around it (required in zsh prompts).
 		'''
-		return '%{' + super(ZshPromptRenderer, self).hl(None, fg, bg, attr) + '%}' + (contents or u'')
+		return '%{' + super(ZshPromptRenderer, self).hlstyle(None, fg, bg, attr) + '%}'
 
 	@staticmethod
 	def escape(string):