Indigo De Souza Interview
With All of This Will End, Indigo De Souza channels grief, growth, and grace into a raw and resonant call for presence and self-love.
In the lush greenery of Asheville, North Carolina, an exceptional musician is poised to grace the world with her third album, All of This Will End. The name of this luminary? Indigo De Souza, whose creative brilliance is as captivating as the beguiling melodies she creates. It’s been quite a journey for De Souza so far: her debut album, I Love My Mom, earned initial critical acclaim in 2018, while her follow-up, Any Shape You Take, released in 2021, took her songwriting to new heights showcasing her artistic growth as she delved into themes of self discovery, healing, and finding one’s place in the world. With her latest release, All of This Will End, De Souza unflinchingly confronts the darkness that pervades our world, exposing its raw beauty and seeking solace in its depths. Indigo De Souza’s artistry and fearlessness uniquely capture the multifaceted nature of the human experience.
As the faint light of dawn creeps through the window of her cosy abode, De Souza is already settled comfortably in front of her Zoom camera, ready to share her thoughts on her forthcoming album, All of This Will End. Despite the cold March morning that surrounds her, Indigo’s words seem to warm the soul. De Souza speaks with a quiet intensity, about the optimistic nature of her upcoming album All of This Will End.
De Souza explains of the themes behind the new record:
“Optimism doesn’t exist without all of the other stuff too. Acceptance of the darkness doesn’t mean that the darkness goes away.”
“I remember looking back at the rest of my life and thinking about how much I’ve learned and feeling like I had a deeper acceptance for everything and the way that it has been and the way that it will be and I felt okay with existence and loss and everything. I think that the pandemic helped me a lot with that because it put a lot of things into perspective because so many things were lost and shut down and people were all experiencing a poignant thing together at once. It forced me into this place of introspection where I learned to accept all of the things that I’d been hurting so much over.” Shares De Souza.
“I’m not singing like: ‘Everything’s sooooooooo good, Everything’s going to be okay for us’. Jokes De Souza.
“It’s more that everything is brutal and it’s okay because the only thing that we can control is ourselves and our own small world. And so if we’re able to find acceptance there and also bring light into that space in small ways, then that’s all we can do.” De Souza further explains.
All of This Will End is a journey through the depths of self-growth, propelled by the force of De Souza’s introspection and artistic honesty. From a young age, De Souza was heavily involved in music. Her mother gifted her a keyboard and guitar, igniting the flames of musical passion within her heart. Her Southern roots and exposure to various genres of music imbued her style with a captivating emotive flavour.
“I was 11 years old and I was singing songs about how much I loved my mom and how sad it would be if she died, it was really heavy.” De Souza jokes. “I remember watching people cry in front of me and being like ‘That was so beautiful.’ and something just clicked where I realized that whatever that feeling was of bringing people together and sharing an emotion was important. So, yeah, I became dedicated to that. And my mom pushed me to play live all the time so that I could get over how shy I was because I was also deathly shy and scared of performing.” De Souza shares.
De Souza self-produced her album All of This Will End but worked with Alex Farah, who was both an engineer and a producer, to create the record. Dexter Webb, who played guitar, also had a significant role in the production process, bringing his specific language and musical mind to the table. Indigo typically creates demos on her computer using Logic and then practices the songs with her band before recording them live. However, in this album, they used a lot of stems from her demos in the final recordings, which felt authentic to the initial creative process.
“I love not only the sounds being slightly worse or grittier but the sounds having a lot of truth in them because they were the first thing you thought of.”
Shares de Souza on the recording process.
“Sometimes I’ll make a demo and think ‘this is a stupid demo’ and I don’t even care and then I’ll bring it to the studio and it’ll have grown on me and I’ll realize that I actually want to use some of the stuff that I thought was not going to be used, because of how free the place that it came from was.” De Souza explains.
Indigo De Souza esteems the veracity and genuineness of the original sounds ensnared during the recording process, which may not always be faultless but are imbued with the truth. Additionally, she concedes the malleability of her songwriting method as it transforms in tandem with her maturation. Despite her burgeoning prowess and triumph, De Souza retains her modesty and stays firmly rooted in her artistry.
“I think my songwriting is always changing just as my brain develops.” Shares De Souza. De Souza radiates an air of well-deserved confidence that is as warranted as it is awe inspiring. This illustrious artist’s songwriting abilities have surged in leaps and bounds since her early days of recording with a humble 4-track her mother had purchased for her.
A constant source of support and inspiration for De Souza is the community that surrounds her. She spoke with effusive praise about her band members, crew, and label, like a gardener extolling the virtues of the rich soil in which their precious blooms grow. Indigo’s music thrives when it is nurtured by a community that shares her vision and supports her every step of the way.
Of all the communities that have embraced her, it is Saddle Creek that holds a special place in De Souza’s heart. For her, the label represents a beacon of hope in a music industry that often chews up and spits out its artists with callous disregard. Robb Nansel, the label’s owner, is a veritable “total sweetheart” whose altruistic mission is to protect and nurture the artists under his wing. Indeed, it is this sense of community that infuses every note and lyric of Indigo’s music, like a tapestry woven from the threads of shared experience and mutual support. With her new album, All of This Will End, she takes this sense of belonging to new heights, exploring themes of love, loss, and the human condition with a depth and honesty as raw as it is beautiful.
De Souza seeks to establish a felicitous connection with her audience, fostering a communal bond predicated on the reciprocal experience of her music. She aspires to imbue her listeners with a fortifying sense of growth and empowerment derived from engaging with her craft.
“What I hope people get from listening is a strength, a courage to enter their own lives with a certain intention and fearlessness and self love. I hope they hear the songs and feel triumphant or feel things are possible for them and that they can take control of their lives and create boundaries and treat themselves well and choose themselves over the dysfunction.”
Indigo De Souza is an artist who values the authenticity of her music, from the grittier, imperfect sounds captured during the recording process to the evolving nature of her songwriting process. She hopes to build a community and positive relationship with her listeners through her music, inspiring growth and strength. In her latest album All of This Will End, De Souza expertly captures the duality of the title, offering both a bleak recognition of life’s fleeting nature and a call to seize the day and make the most of every moment.
Photography By: Angella Choe & Charlie Boss
Interview Taken from Still Listening Magazine Issue Five: 21/04/2023