Q&A: Following Her Heart and Listening to Her Intuition, Indigo De Souza Releases “I Love My Mom”
FILLING UP SOUND WITH AN AURA OF LOVE — Indigo De Souza is one of the rising artists that have completely grabbed an audience full of light and love.
I recently started listening to her music a couple months ago. Her album I Love My Mom had been on my “to-listen” for a while and on the occasion a song would come up throughout my day, her sound was one that really comforted me. As she released her single, “Kill Me,” for her upcoming album Any Shape You Take, I fell in love with her sound completely. It was full of so many emotions through both her instruments and vocals. This really pushed me to dive into her whole discography, and in the end, I became completely obsessed and listened to her constantly.
Not only is she able to captivate emotions through multiple sonic elements in her music, but her songwriting entrances you. It’s relatable but completely up to your own interpretation and that is what made my listening experience comfortable, being able to listen to her music through my own experiences.
Her upcoming album, Any Shape You Take, is about the human relationship to change, the journey to it, and the freedom after it. Read down below to get to know Indigo De Souza!
LUNA: Hi! To start off, I just wanted to say I really appreciate having this opportunity to chat with you! I’ve been obsessing over your music for a while now and your new singles have got me super excited for what you do next. How have things been going for you so far this year?
DE SOUZA: Hey! Thank you so much, I appreciate it. :) Things have been going really well for me this year. I have been dancing and swimming and making lots of new friends. I’ve been eating lots of farm veggies and writing songs. It has been a good year so far. Of course there are ups and downs, but I have been feeling a lot more able to process the world because I am blessed with such a strong and supportive community.
LUNA: Your new album, Any Shape You Take, is coming out soon — congratulations! What did the process for it look like? (Productions, song writing, experiences, etc.)
DE SOUZA: Thank you! I am so so so excited! With the way that COVID affected the music industry, it truly felt like I was moving in slow motion towards this release. It’s such a relief to be sharing these songs. I worked on this album with executive producer Brad Cook, and engineers/producers Alex Farrar and Adam McDaniel, as well as my original bandmates Jake Lenderman and Owen Stone, and my current guitar player Dexter Webb. It was a wild experience because it was during the height of the pandemic when it felt like you could not touch anything or go anywhere at all. We had all been so isolated for a long time, so it felt extra special to let loose and connect to one another in our safe music bubble we created. I learned a lot during the recording process, and most of all I gained a lot of trust and confidence in my own instinctual ideas through the support and encouragement from the production team.
LUNA: One of your latest singles, “Kill Me,” has been on repeat for me since it came out. I love the sound of it — the way it starts off feeling silent but as the instruments come in it invokes a strong feeling. Is there a feeling in your music that you try to invoke or convey? How do you use sonic elements to tell the story of your songs?
DE SOUZA: I fully embody all kinds of feelings when I am creating music, and I just kind of hope that from that place of honest expression I can connect with my listeners. I truly just follow my heart and intuition always.
LUNA: In contrast, the second single “Hold U” is a lot smoother yet upbeat, with signature elements of yours but also a slightly different sound for you. Are there any new elements you want to try out in your music or tried out for your upcoming album?
DE SOUZA: I am always exploring different styles and energies within my music for sure. It’s a big fun playground and anything is possible! It only feels right that the music would shift around with my moods and my inner world.
LUNA: What I love about your music is that I always feel comforted when I listen to it. It’s relatable in my own way even if it’s just certain things you sing and not just the entirety of the song. What do you hope listeners can take away from your music?
DE SOUZA: I mostly just hope to offer listeners a safe and loving space to feel and process a full spectrum of emotion. I think it’s important to normalize fully expressing oneself. Society doesn’t always feel like it’s allowing us the patience or space to do so.
LUNA: Your projects are always full of honesty and self-discovery — what would you say Any Shape You Take is going to explore?
DE SOUZA: Any Shape You Take explores love, grief, and change, and the presence of compassion for the weight of the human experience. The album takes many shapes musically and emotionally. I am looking forward to learning what the album means to people outside of myself. I am so close to the project now, it’s hard to imagine how it could even be received by others.
LUNA: What is your favorite moment from recording your new album?
DE SOUZA: I’m not sure! I really loved doing vocals. I think that’s always my favorite part.
LUNA: You grew up around creative parents and a big reason for your love of music is because of them. Have there been other influences in your life that have motivated you to keep being creative? Any artists who have inspired what you want to encapsulate in your music?
INDIGO: Yes! I have felt very inspired throughout my life by lots of different artists. I’m also very inspired by my relationships and community. Music just truly is the only thing that has ever felt truly fulfilling and real for me. It comes from a very natural and magical place in my subconscious that will always be somewhat of a mystery to me.
LUNA: You’re going on tour and selling out a lot of venues! It must be really exciting to start going back to live performances and interacting with audiences. And you have amazing people opening up for you as well — they're shows that will be a whole experience. What are you looking forward to for your tour?
INDIGO: I am really just looking forward to spending time with my bandmates and exploring new places! My bandmates, Dexter, Avery, and Zack are just the sweetest angels on the planet and I feel so lucky that they are coming on this very strange and wild journey with me. I couldn’t ask for a better dream team. I am very excited to connect with an audience again and to provide some kind of moment of collective catharsis for people after a hard year.
LUNA: Fun (slightly difficult) question before we end: What three records would you have if you were on a deserted island?
INDIGO: Oooo, I think I would have to go with:
Weird Little Birthday (Happyness)
Iowa Dream (Arthur Russel)
Devotion (Tirzah)
LUNA: Thank you for taking the time to chat! I’m really excited to hear Any Shape You Take and to see you live soon! Besides the new album, is there anything else to look forward to for this year?
INDIGO: Thank you so much for having me! See you soon :) And I hope there are other things to look forward to this year! Hopefully many things. (for all of us)
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