I like the idea, but I don't care for the interface. I think you can make the color palette you have now work by using a white background and then using the green/pink/purple as accents. This would work better for a night mode option too, replacing the white for a black or a very dark gray.
You need to cache the contact photos of these friends too. I'm pretty sure most of us have friends all with the same first name. We also know people better by their face too, hence why we have pictures in caller ID.