It's crazy to think that this was my last concert/interview before the pandemic. I remember Take Off Your Pants popping up on my Spotify discovery playlist back in 2018, and realizing that I was listening to something special. I immediately looked up Indigo's album, I Love My Mom, and it's been on repeat ever since. I'm always a fan of the bands and artists that I get to interview, but for the past 2 years Indigo De Souza was on the top of the list for my dream interviews. That being said, I was very nervous, but also really excited for this opportunity. Anyway, here is a play by play of the conversation I had with Indigo de Souza. Check it out.
Its March 1st. A Sunday afternoon. I'm walking around downtown Dallas practicing my interview questions with my friend Taylor when I get a text from Indigo saying that she's ready, and we make our way to the venue. As we get to the door, there's already a crowd of well dressed, cool teenage kids forming outside. All of them glaring at me because it seems like trying to cut to the front of the line. I message Indigo to let her know that we are at the door. My palms are sweaty. My mom's palms are spaghetti. My spaghetti's mom's palms are sweaty. Indigo greets us at the door and walks us back to the greenroom so we can do the interview. As I walk in I see Field Medic, another of my favorite artists, laying on the couch. I panic even more. I feel like I'm going to faint. We take a seat and begin the interview.
Isaac Gutierrez for Born Loser: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me. It’s really exciting
Indigo De Souza: Why? Why is it exciting?
(Nervous laugh) Oh, you’re interviewing me now?
Yeah (Laughs)
I just- I listen to a lot of music. I stumbled across your album and I listened to Take Off Your Pants, then I immediately listened to the entire album. Then I found your neo-soul side project and I was like oh wow this is different but also really good. I don’t know. I just think its really exciting to find music that I connect with and genuinely enjoy. I guess to be able to share that is really exciting.
Oh cool. Well, those are all my questions
So how did you first get started in music?
I started playing music when I was 9. My dad is a bossa nova guitarist. I mean, it probably has something to do with science. I just started doing it. I started playing guitar and I had a little four-track recorder and I was just a singer songwriter kid in coffee shops and on the streets until I met the boys in my band now. I’ve been doing it for a while now, but I used to be horribly afraid of doing it. But my mom would basically force me to do it because she wanted me to get used to it. (Laughs) I still get very nervous now.
Oh really? Like are you nervous right now about taking the stage later on tonight?
Not right now, but probably about an hour before it happens, my stomach will go to shit. (Laughs)
How did you learn to get over it enough to at least be able to perform. Does it go away when you start performing?
No. It usually goes away when I'm like two or three songs in. Which is really hard with shows like this because I'm only playing five songs, so the last two songs will probably be the best ones.
Knowing that, are there any song that you won’t play first because you want them to make sure you’re having fun playing those songs?
Yeah, for sure.
Like what?
Like Take Off Your Pants. That’s always near the end.
I did my research, so I’m not weird. But in other interviews you’ve mentioned that your mom is an artist. How did growing up in an artistic household help mold you into the artist you are today?
My mom is just like a wild art lady. She has like naked barbie dolls glued onto her car and flames painted on of countries that have been bombed. She has a garden and is self sustained and builds houses. And she just opened a mini golf course and an art gallery
Thats so cool
I guess its just really inspiring being around her. She just has ideas and instead of just being like “thats a good idea,but im never going to do it." She actually does it, and does it really well.
Do you think that helped push you in pursuing music? Just seeing that?
Yeah, I think it made me realize that if I really wanted to do something that I didn't have to like give up on it just because it was hard
Yeah.
Yeah.
Do you have a picture of your moms car? Because I kinda want to see it. (laughs)
I don't! I dont have one. It used to be really embarrassing when she’d pick me up from school in it.
What was that like? In middle school. Around that age. What was it like?
It was bad. I mean I didn’t understand why my mom was like that when I was young. (laughs) Like do not pick me up from school in that, but I quickly realized that it was everyone else that was a freak.
She designed the cover art, right? For your album.
Yeah. It’s actually a really big painting, and she’s doing the second one right now and its another really big painting.
Thats really cool. (Laughs) this interview just turned into a conversation about your mom.
I think it should be. The whole thing should be about my mom.
That would be great! So she’s doing your second album cover?
Mhm. She’ll be doing all of them.
Speaking of your second album, is that something that you’ve already written out and recorded or you’re in the process of recording?
Yeah, we’re recording it when we get back from this tour. So very soon. And I guess it takes about 6 months for something to get out into the world through a label, so it will take a little bit for it to be there. But it will be there.
Are you excited for that to be out?
Yeah, I’m really excited. It’s been a really long time. I was just waiting for the right time. I wanted to do it the right way, with the right people, and right setting. It just took a while to get there.
Uhh (Looks at notes on phone) So on your last album “ I love my mom” is there a song or a set of lyrics that really highlight the tone you were going for?
Hm. I dont know how to answer that one. That’s a weird one (laughs)
Alright that's fine (Laughs)
I don’t know how to answer that?
(my sound guy/ex friend): Do you know the answer to that??
Yeah I feel like that’s a question for you.
You’re turning on me??
I mean I don’t know. Like in the process of writing was there a song that you felt best represents the album.
Honestly, when I made the album I had no idea about music industry stuff. I wasn’t thinking about how people were going to be listening to it. A friend of ours was just like “Hey, I can help you make an album. I just want to practice making albums for people.” And I had just started playing with a band, and I wasn’t even that good at playing with a band yet. It didn’t come easy to me. So we just kind of did it without thinking about it too much and then put it out and this happened.
Thats crazy. So your intention wasn’t exactly “Im going to focus alot on this album” it just kind of came together.
Yeah it was very organic.
It crazy how much it blew up too
Yeah really crazy
Do you have any memorable onstage moments that really stick out?
I mean I guess if I had to choose one, it would be this house show that we did after we had put out the album and it had gotten a little bit of traction. We did this crazy house show and people were on mushrooms and everyone was drinking and it was wild. And we did our set and everyone in the whole place was singing every lyric and just bouncing up and down. That was the first time I had ever seen people singing the words. That’s when I realized “wow. This is really happening.” It was nice. It was a magical moment.
( At this point Lili Trifilio of Beach Bunny walks in and I almost faint)
You being nervous onstage, are you hyper aware of the audience, or is it just like you’re not able to focus on them just on what you’re doing.
Yeah. I'm just not like a super skilled guitar player and I don’t even practice guitar that much. Which I probably should. Theres just something really spooky about having to play chords and sing at the same time. If I’m in a bad headspace I can forget the words. Or if people are singing I can forget what the words are because you guys are singing them.
You mentioned that the band coming together and putting out the album happened organically. How did the band itself form?
I knew all those boys in high school, but we weren’t friends just acquaintances and after high school we did a talent show thing and we collaborated on some stuff and that's just the first time we played together. We became friends because we liked hanging out and the band stuff just happened after that.
And to wrap things up, is there anything that you’re looking forward to in the near future? Anything that you’re excited about?
I’m just excited to put out an album. That’s going to be amazing. Its been a really long time and I’ve been really really impatient about it. I’m just excited about the people we’re recording with and i’m excited about the label that we’re signing to. Yeah, I’m just excited about everything in the future.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this.
Yeah, that was easy. (laughs)
Listen to Indigo De Souza Here
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