“I am NOT crashing out…”
It was probably my thirteenth time repeating the same phrase as I sat next to my friend on the music venue balcony of Revolution Hall. We were there to see Indigo De Souza, an indie rock and pop artist known for their emotionally raw music. It was my first time seeing one of my favorite artists live in concert, and I was indeed “crashing out.”
De Souza is currently on tour after releasing her most recent album, Precipice, on Jul. 25, 2025. On Mar. 9, she stopped in Portland, OR to put on an otherworldly and emotionally binding show.
A shift in lighting directed our attention towards the stage, and the audience was greeted by De Souza’s neighbor and opener, Mothé. An alternative indie and indie pop artist, Mothé most recently collaborated with De Souza on the Sep. 24, 2025 track “Serious.”
The venue quickly came alive as Mothé played songs from their new album “Total Popstar” and humorously spoke to the crowd. The band moved with incredible energy, Mothé whirling across the stage, their bassist switching between instruments mid-song and their drummer beating out rapid eruptions of rhythm. The performance was full of animation and shouted quips from excited listeners (“The ‘e’ has an accent!!,” “What’s the name of that song??” “I love youuu!!”), De Souza, at one point, even hopping onstage to dance with them.
After Mothé ended their set with “BEAT, DRUGS, SEX, LOVE,” anticipation filled the air as De Souza’s band members and management set up their equipment. As the lights dimmed and the stage was lit by a pale pink hue, De Souza stepped onstage to begin her first song of the evening, “Be My Love.” Their voice, laid bare atop of the thrum of drums and instrumentals, brought a sense of tension and warmth over the venue.
Hands flourishing through the air along with the beat, De Souza played guitar and sang as if the music was flowing through their body. Each instrument added an extra layer to create songs that took on forms unique from her original recorded tracks.
In an interview I conducted with De Souza before the show, she described her work as a “vulnerable but also gritty catharsis that’s meant for healing myself and other people — connection with myself and other people.”
The connective power of De Souza’s music could be seen clearly as members of the audience sang along to each song and shouted their support. De Souza frequently spoke openly with the crowd about her experiences, voicing her support for those experiencing struggle in their own lives.
In the midst of the show, De Souza requested the audience come together and sing along to a single pulsing note. She then left the stage to join the crowd and improvise a song over the ocean of joint voices. The venue seemed to combine into a singular body of music with De Souza’s voice at its center. It was an ethereal experience and another example of how De Souza is able to form meaningful bonds through her music.
“Shows are just a way of connecting with my listeners and being present in the room with them and sharing space and sharing experience,” she says.
De Souza expressed that her current tour’s shows have been better than they ever have in the past, but that the tour has been simultaneously emotionally difficult.
“I actually really love where I live, and I feel very comfortable where I live, and excited about the projects I have going on there, and excited about my community. And it was really hard to leave home and know that I’m going to be away from home for two months,” they say. “I think maybe in the past, my life was kind of so chaotic and destructive that I was happy to leave for a couple months.”
However, De Souza is happy with how well her shows have aligned with her goals as a songwriter.
“I feel very strong and purposeful when I’m playing the show and connecting with people — like, okay, this is what I’m meant to do. I need to keep showing up for these people who need connection and communities.”
Following “Kill Me” from their Any Shape You Take album, De Souza sang “Come To God,” a single released on Mar. 3 of this year, currently only available on YouTube. The song was born from De Souza’s experiences following the flooding of her home in North Carolina as a result of Hurricane Helene. The only song I didn’t know by heart, it was incredible to see “Come To God” performed live less than a week after its release.
When it comes to songwriting, De Souza emphasizes the importance of curiosity and “being open to try things … when something’s not working, instead of getting hung up on that it’s not working, just being like — Well, I’ll try something else. Maybe I’ll come back to this.”
De Souza advises aspiring artists to write because they are passionate about their work. She says, “If you love making music, then do it because you love it … The moment that you’re doing it for a different reason is the moment when it starts to become untrue.”
De Souza ended off her show with her popular song “Take Off Ur Pants” from her I Love My Mom album. As the concert came to a close, everyone was treated to a little dance party as the “Cha Cha Slide” by DJ Casper blasted through the speakers. A fun and light-hearted finish to the show, De Souza danced on stage as the audience stomped their feet and clapped their hands.
Although by the end I had thoroughly lost my voice, I really enjoyed Indigo De Souza’s Mar. 9 Portland tour stop. My friend and I were overjoyed when the band played “You Can Be Mean” and pleasantly surprised when she sang lesser-known songs like “Not My Body” (the vocals were mind-bending on this one!). Our only nit-pick was that we’d wished they’d performed Precipice’s “Heartthrob.”
De Souza’s show felt very personal and almost homely, taking place in a room full of passionate, emotional and loving people. For a brief few hours, each listener was able to connect to a greater community through the flowing current of De Souza’s music.
