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Indigo De Souza

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Indigo De Souza
De Souza performing in 2022
Background information
Born (1997-07-01) July 1, 1997 (age 27)
OriginNorth Carolina, U.S.
GenresIndie rock, alternative rock
OccupationsSinger, songwriter
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, keyboards
Years active2016–present
LabelsSaddle Creek

Indigo De Souza is an American-Brazilian singer-songwriter from Asheville, North Carolina. Her[a] third album, All of This Will End, was released in April 2023. She has been noted for creating "intimate, anxious indie rock songs [that] wrangle with disappointment and relationship challenges,"[1] with personal and confessional lyrics.[2][3]

Early life

De Souza was born in Danbury, Connecticut, where she lived until the age of seven. She then grew up in the conservative small town of Spruce Pine, North Carolina, where she and her artist mother, Kimberly Oberhammer, faced difficulty fitting in.[4] De Souza's father is a Brazilian guitarist who was absent during much of her childhood.[4] De Souza moved with her older sister to Asheville when she was 16.[4][5]

Career

2016–2020: Boys, Don't Cry Just Do, and I Love My Mom

With encouragement from her mother, De Souza started making music at age 9,[6] and began self-producing her own recordings in 2016. Her first release was an EP titled Boys that was recorded in a friend's garage, followed by another EP titled Don't Cry Just Do in 2017.[1] She self-released her first full-length album, I Love My Mom, in June 2018. Saddle Creek Records discovered the album and gave it a proper release in 2021.[1] The album gained notice from journalists for De Souza's lyrics on taboo topics.[7]

2021–2022: Any Shape You Take

De Souza co-produced her second album, Any Shape You Take, with Brad Cook, who has also produced for Bon Iver and Waxahatchee.[8] The album was released in August 2021,[1] and was noted for De Souza's emotional singing and her mastery of several different musical styles.[9] The cover of the album features an apocalyptic supermarket overgrown with greenery, and is painted by De Souza's mother.[10][5] On the song "Real Pain", De Souza included recordings of crowdsourced screams in the chorus, which she explained as "a representation of the idea that, no matter how separate our brains are, we all experience pain in such immense ways throughout our lives, and how that connects us".[4][5] She noted the idea of personal change and growth as a central theme in the album.[11]

De Souza toured with a full band featuring Dexter Webb (guitar), Zack Kardon (bass), and Avery Sullivan (drums). She also formed a neo soul side project called Icky Bricketts with Ethan Baechtold.[6]

2023: All of This Will End

In February 2023, De Souza announced via social media that her next album All of This Will End would be released in April of that year. The announcement was paired with the release of a single called "Younger & Dumber" that same day.[12] This was followed by two subsequent singles, "Smog" and "You Can Be Mean", released on March 8, 2023, and April 5, 2023, respectively. Both singles were released with accompanying music videos. De Souza described the concept of "Smog" as revealing her feelings of anxiety about living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic, when everything felt "unknown and distant", and described her emotional state as "delirious joy and a real tired hopelessness". De Souza revealed that "You Can Be Mean" is written about a brief toxic relationship and her realization that "I could choose not to allow harmful behavior into my life".[13][14] All of This Will End was released on April 28, 2023, with 11 tracks. Compared to previous releases, De Souza says the album focuses more on acceptance and self-worth than obsession and desperation. The title "All This Will End" conveys De Souza's intention to focus on acknowledging but making peace with mortality and inevitable death by celebrating small moments in life.[15]

De Souza will embark on a summer tour in support of the album, has said that she already has material written for another LP, and hopes to explore the pop genre in the future.[16]

Personal life

As of March 2023, De Souza still resides in Asheville and maintains a close relationship with her mother, who paints her album cover art. She has said that she finds life while touring "crazy" and "unsustainable", but clarified that she still loves it. However, she has expressed disapproval of music festivals, saying that she feels they are "often about making money rather than being about art", and do not care about performing artists. She has also criticized the music industry as a whole as "money first" instead of "people first", and believes that the industry frequently disregards mental health. Despite this, she frequently expresses gratitude toward the close-knit community she has found in the industry.[17][5][4]

Artistry

On her straightforward writing style, De Souza remarked that she always wants to express exactly what she is feeling in the hopes that people will be able to relate to her music. De Souza also credits her exploration of mortality with allowing her to write openly, stating " I don't feel scared of being open about my feelings because they're fleeting, and I know that at the end of it all, I'm going to die".[4][18]

Much of De Souza's discography is centered around the idea of death, with album All of This Will End and songs titled "Die/Cry" and "Kill Me". She states that exploring abstract concepts of death and mortality allows her to write songs true to herself, stating "the acceptance of mortality allows me to make music that is directly from the heart, and is completely true and is very vulnerable and raw". She also hopes to connect to listeners through the idea of loss and highlight the joy of community and the small moments "we have while we are here".[10][18][19][20]

Imagery of nature also appears frequently in De Souza's lyrics and concept art, often in contrast to grocery stores or parking lots. De Souza has explained that she sees grocery stores as a symbol in her life where she feels out of touch with humanity, and that she prefers to connect with the earth and learn from nature. She also says that parking lots inspire her to consider nature before human intervention.[18] De Souza says her work is heavily inspired by spending time in nature where she feels she can gain a deeper understanding of herself.[21][22]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
Heat.
[23] 		US
Sales
[24]
I Love My Mom – –
Any Shape You Take
  • Released: August 27, 2021
  • Label: Saddle Creek
  • Formats: LP, CD, cassette, digital download, streaming
 – –
All of This Will End
  • Released: April 28, 2023[25]
  • Label: Saddle Creek
  • Formats: LP, CD, cassette, digital download, streaming
 18 66

Extended plays

Title EP details
Boys
  • Released: March 25, 2016
  • Label: Cement Hotel
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
Don't Cry Just Do
  • Released: September 19, 2017
  • Label: New Galaxy
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
Indigo De Souza on Audiotree Live
  • Released: January 21, 2019
  • Label: Audiotree Music
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
AAA
[26]
"Nomoah" 2018 – Non-album single
"Kill Me" 2021 – Any Shape You Take
"Hold U" 38
"Real Pain" –
"Ivy"
(Frank Ocean cover) 		2021 – Non-album single
"Younger & Dumber" 2023 – All of This Will End
"Smog" 35
"You Can Be Mean" –

Notes

  1. ^ De Souza uses both she/her and they/them pronouns and switches between them. This article uses she/her pronouns for consistency.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Donelson, Marcy. "Indigo De Souza Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  2. ^ Lopez, Julyssa. "Indigo De Souza". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  3. ^ Freedman, Max (25 August 2021). "Indigo De Souza Is Just Being Honest". MTV News. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Moreland, Quinn (2021-08-12). "Indigo De Souza's Ultimate Indie Rock Glow Up". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  5. ^ a b c d Lochrie, Conor (20 September 2021). "On The Rise: Indigo De Souza | Interview". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  6. ^ a b "Indigo De Souza". The Masquerade. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  7. ^ Russell, Scott (2021-08-23). "Indigo De Souza Is a Light on Any Shape You Take". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  8. ^ Chelosky, Danielle (2021-07-14). "Artist To Watch: Indigo De Souza". Stereogum. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  9. ^ "Indigo De Souza: Any Shape You Take". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  10. ^ a b Prettyman-Beauchamp, Sophie (2021-09-01). "Interview: Indigo De Souza Embraces Every Part of Herself on 'Any Shape You Take'". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  11. ^ Wilde, Jamie (2021-09-06). "In Conversation: Indigo De Souza". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  12. ^ De Souza, Indo [@IndigoDeSouza] (February 8, 2023). "Announcing my new album All of This Will End out April 28th on Saddle Creek—my new song + music video "Younger & Dumber" is out now. You can pre-order vinyl + merch now via @hellomerch and @saddlecreek and listen here: http://indigodesouza.scfm.me/aotwe" (Tweet). Retrieved 2023-02-14 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ Hussey, Allison (2023-03-07). "Indigo De Souza Shares Video for New Song "Smog"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  14. ^ Minsker, Evan (2023-04-05). "Indigo De Souza Shares Video for New Song "You Can Be Mean"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  15. ^ Lu, Leah (2023-03-16). "Indigo De Souza Doesn't Have All the Answers, and That's OK". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  16. ^ Swhear, Alex (25 April 2023). "Indigo De Souza: Seeing Through the Smog". FLOOD. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  17. ^ Hughes, Mia (2023-03-28). "Indigo De Souza's Masterclass Of Clarity And Intention". UPROXX. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  18. ^ a b c Lee, Taila (2 May 2023). "Indigo De Souza Knows 'All Of This Will End' — And It's What Makes Her New Album So Meaningful". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  19. ^ Bell, Sadie (2023-04-28). "How Indigo De Souza reconnected with nature to make her stunning, soul-searching album 'All of This Will End'". Alternative Press Magazine. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  20. ^ Mark, Jenkins (2023-05-22). "Indigo De Souza's new album is her most upbeat. The theme is death". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  21. ^ Wright, Lisa (2023-04-25). "Indigo De Souza: Complete Surrender". DIY. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  22. ^ Pappis, Konstantinos (2023-04-27). "Indigo De Souza on How Mushrooms, Parking Lots, Community, and More Inspired Her New Album 'All of This Will End'". Our Culture. Retrieved 2023-06-04.
  23. ^ "Heatseekers Albums: Week of May 13, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  24. ^ "Top Album Sales: Week of May 13, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  25. ^ Arcand, Rob (February 8, 2023). "Indigo De Souza Announces New Album All of This Will End, Shares Song: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  26. ^ Peaks on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart:
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