We’re big fans of Indigo De Souza here at Studio One, and we’re pretty sure she likes us too. Iowa is the home of one of her favorite artists, cellist and composer Arthur Russell. Her latest single, “Heartthrob,” was #1 on the Studio One chart a couple of weeks ago. And now she’s returning to Iowa for the first time since 2024’s Mission Creek Festival, just a couple of weeks ahead of the release of her new album.
All of this comes after one of the most difficult periods of De Souza’s life. Her home in Asheville, North Carolina was severely damaged during Hurricane Helene last September, and in her own words she had to “start from ground zero.” De Souza said it was “the hardest thing that’s ever happened (to her),” but the community in Asheville rallied together and helped each other out by sharing resources and supporting each other emotionally. She now feels a “deeper bond” with her community.
“We were all so connected and so there for each other. We spent every night together playing board games and eating food together and just trying to build a sense of togetherness,” said De Souza. “(The hurricane) was so surprising and shocking to my whole nervous system, but also it taught me a lot of lessons about letting go of things and possessions, and just leaning in to community and finding meaning in that.”
De Souza and her band are heading out on a nine-day tour that includes a stop at Wooly’s on July 15. It’s the first time they’ve all played together since before the hurricane and subsequent flooding.
“I think I'm just really curious about what it will feel like,” said De Souza. “I have a lot of anxiety (about) performing live, but it's always changing shape and it always looks different, and I never really know how it's going to show up. (I don’t know ) if I'm gonna have fun or if I'm gonna be scared, or what it's gonna be like. I'm just excited for the adventure of it.”
De Souza’s upcoming album, Precipice, will be released July 25. The album was completed before Hurricane Helene, and De Souza has already begun work on a new record, more directly inspired by the events and emotions of the hurricane and its aftermath. A lot of artists are excited to release their records so they can start working on the next one, and De Souza is no exception.
“I definitely went through a lot of really intense mental health crises after the flood, and I had a lot to process musically and emotionally,” said De Souza. “I have this record that I've been working on since the flood, and then I have another record after that that I've written and I'm ready to record. So yeah, it's hard for the industry to kind of move as fast as I feel like artists do sometimes.”
Tickets are still available for Indigo De Souza’s show at Wooly’s on Tuesday night, with special guest Primer. Her music is available on Bandcamp and streaming services.
