When Student Unions & Activities (SUA) announced in August that indie singer-songwriter Indigo De Souza would perform at Coffman Union in October, my first thought was “How?!? Why?!”
My friend and I immediately bought tickets for the Oct. 12 show at 7:30, but those questions filled my brain the entire time. Why was De Souza, who previously opened for huge acts like Mitski and Lucy Dacus, coming to our college campus? How did SUA get her?
Kirra Stopka, a SUA event planner for the Whole Music Club, said pitching De Souza as a potential concert instantly piqued office interest.
“It was finalized within weeks, while some of the smaller bands we’ve worked with have taken way longer to book,” Stopka said. “Larger artists often have agents who make correspondences with our team much easier than with an artist who may not have a team yet.”
Stopka said SUA hosts one national act near the beginning of every fall semester. Last year, it was TikTok sensation Ricky Montgomery. She added that large acts are booked for Homecoming and Spring Jam.
“I’m pretty optimistic about turnout,” Stopka said. “We saw a big first-day jump in ticket sales after we announced the show, so students are excited.”
On Monday, SUA announced Susannah Joffe and Minneapolis punk rock band Creeping Charlie as openers.
Stopka said she is a fan of De Souza and started listening after hearing about De Souza opening for Mitski in July 2022.
“‘I Love My Mom’ is one of my favorite albums,” Stopka said, referring to De Souza’s 2018 debut record. “Her most recent album (“All of This Will End”) has really dark themes but an optimistic, folksy-sounding vibe. I really enjoy that contradiction.”
Straightforward lyricism and raw, unpolished vocals are key facets of De Souza’s artistry. In a 2023 interview for GRAMMY.com, De Souza explained how she links this honesty to mortality.
“The acceptance of mortality allows me to make music that is directly from the heart,” De Souza said. “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.”
De Souza’s lyricism is to the point, but never too on the nose. The second track on “All of This Will End,” “You Can Be Mean,” sucker-punches you with it in a short, two-and-a-half-minute vent.
“I can’t believe I let you touch my body / I can’t believe I let you get inside,” De Souza sings, her words dripping with bitterness. “You know what you did / You know what you took from me / It makes me sick to think about that night.”
They are lyrics you wish you could say to someone directly, but circumstances mean indirectness must suffice, so you throw everything into it.
University of Minnesota senior Abby Wichlacz said he appreciates De Souza’s relatable songwriting, particularly in “You Can Be Mean” and “Take Off Ur Pants.”
The latter song’s chorus begins with a painfully honest, but often necessary, confession of true feelings: “Now that everyone’s gone, I can tell you the truth / I don’t love you, I like you.”
“It’s like, I’ve been there. I get the emotion.” Wichlacz said.
He also named “Kill Me” and De Souza’s 2016 single, “Boys” as favorites of his.
Wichlacz said he was both excited and shocked when he heard about De Souza coming to campus because SUA has not hosted acts he has been interested in seeing before.
“I’m honestly just excited to be around other fans and see someone I didn’t think would come here and have fun with my friends,” Wichlacz said.
August Mentch, another University senior, named De Souza’s belting guitar and piano ballad “Younger & Dumber” and the more indie-rock sounding but equally wistful “Sick in the Head” as their favorites.
A friend of Wichlacz, Mentch said they were excited to go to a concert with him and partake in that atmosphere together.
“We’ve been friends for years and we still haven’t gone to a concert together,” Mentch said. “Even if you’re at a concert with people you don’t know, you get to bond with them in that moment over a shared love of the artist.”