WRVU gets an exclusive opportunity to cover press for the Nashville iteration of Indigo De Souza’s 2021 tour on November 14, 2021.

Indigo De Souza, photo by Natalie Martinez-White

Blue-eyed Indigo De Souza stunned us all when she came to Nashville’s Mercy Lounge on November 14th to celebrate the release of her sophomore album, Any Shape You Take. An intimate setting with no barricade between fans and the artists, no venue seemed more suitable for Indigo De Souza’s vibes to shine.

Photograph of Allie, photo by Alyssa Bersamin

As the opener, Nashville-based singer-songwriter, Allie, set the soft yet powerful tone that the rest of the night followed. Towards the end of their set, Allie told us the wholesome, full circle story of how they once rebelliously played Indigo on the radio instead of the prescribed list of vanilla rock music they were supposed to. Long story short, they were fired for their act of defiance, but now have come to open for the same extraordinary artist that they played on the radio many years back. Between most songs, Allie brought out their “comfort item”— a simple, little Hydro Flask®— and constantly reminded the audience about the importance of hydration. After several sips of water and ethereal music, Allie received a heartfelt round of applause that they truly deserved.

After a few minutes of friendly chatter amongst the crowd, the queen herself mosied onto the stage. With her simple yet grand entrance, we could all feel the energy in the room shift. After momentary applause (only cut short by a hushed anticipation), De Souza and her band tuned up their instruments while the crowd waited silently and patiently for the first notes to rip through the venue. In fact, the crowd matched her energy the entire time she was getting ready for her grand sonic entrance. When she closed her mesmerizing eyes, so did we (or at least I think we all did). When she finally shouted through and about her heartbreak, we moshed along— even if you aren’t a mosher, you would have found the energy during “Die/Cry” and “Take Off Your Pants” too valiant not to. 

Photo of Indigo De Souza tuning up, photo by Natalie Martinez-White

Her soft mannerisms and sweet smile would have had anyone fooled that her performances would be a direct reproduction of the delicacy in her album, Any Shape You Take. Instead, she managed to show off a different side to Indigo De Souza— one heralded by raw power. Her performance was built on a robust foundation that turned the night into a passionate and emotive night for all of us. There was not a single moment from the two-hour concert experience that felt like a “Bad Dream” (besides waiting outside in the cold for my Uber to come after the show). Despite the cold, this night was one that would be hard for me to forget, especially since it was not until this day that I truly understood the vehemence behind Any Shape You Take.

Listen to her one and only sophomore album here: