Emily Saliers (left) and Amy RayPhotograph by Shervin Lainez On the final day of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Emily Saliers and Amy Ray—the duo behind Decatur’s folk-rock sensation Indigo Girls—played a free concert in Decatur Square. In front of 5,500 dancing, cheering fans, they sang newer songs like 2020’s “Look Long” and revisited old favorites, including “Closer to Fine,” the enduring sing-along anthem that put them on the map. They would have been happy, they say, to play all night. “It was great—we love being in Atlanta making music,” says Ray, 62, via Zoom from a stop on a 24-city Indigo Girls tour. “Everyone is connected. It’s very Southern in the most positive way.” Saliers and Ray met at Decatur’s Laurel Ridge Elementary School in 1974 and began performing together while attending Shamrock High School. In 1985, when they were both students at Emory University, they adopted the name Indigo Girls. “We needed a name, and we went through the dictionary looking for words that struck us,” Saliers, 63, told NPR in March 2007. “Indigo was one.” Their mainstream breakthrough came in 1989, when they signed with Epic Records and released “Closer to Fine” on their self-titled album, which earned a Grammy. (The popular track was introduced to a new generation of listeners when director Greta Gerwig tapped it for 2023’s Barbie.) Indigo Girls made eight more albums under Epic Records, including Rites of Passage, which reached 21 on the Billboard 200, propelled by singles like “Galileo” and “Ghost.” They became known for their powerful, melodic harmonies and soul-stirring lyrics. They eventually switched to Hollywood Records before launching their own label, IG Recordings, in 2007. The idea, they say, was to assert control so they could maintain their authentic sound. “For a musician, finding the voice is core. That’s what you bring to the band and to your fans,” Ray says. Now, even after 16 studio albums and 15 million records sold, Saliers and Ray say they remain inspired by Atlanta’s music landscape. “It continues to have an energy to it,” Ray says. “The idea of a ‘collective’ [a group of independent musicians who share resources and support each other] is a really strong Atlanta narrative, which is so fascinating to me. All genres have collectives happening here.” Atlanta, they feel, has also become less homogeneous. “There are more bands that are racially integrated,” Ray says. “Races were not mixing when we were younger, so that has changed for the better.” The duo, who are both based in Georgia—Saliers in Decatur, Ray in North Georgia—still show up to support the city’s rising talent. That includes the band Equal Creatures, which is fronted by Amy’s niece, Laurie Ray. “I’ve loved seeing her go from being shy to playing gigs out of town and knowing where the best clubs are,” Amy says. “An up-and-comer has to have that quality, because you want to enrich the music scene in Atlanta.” Their advice to Laurie and others trying to make it in today’s especially competitive music scene? Go for it. “Music lives on. People need live music,” Saliers chimes in. “Trust your own process, because you’re going to learn along the way.” Before their fall tour, Saliers announced she had been diagnosed with two movement disorders that affect her voice. Still, she says she wants to embrace her changing body and keep playing music for her fans—especially the ones in her beloved Atlanta. “There’s nothing like playing for a home crowd,” she says. “Because these are the communities that supported you. I’m always nervous at home shows. We’re saying, We came up with you. Thank you for being here after all these years.” Biggest hit “Closer to Fine” from Indigo Girls (1989), which won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Recording Year inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame 2003 Betcha Didn’t Know R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, a fellow Georgian, provided guest vocals on one of their earliest hits, “Kid Fears.” Shout out to the dearly departed Watershed In 1998, Emily Saliers cofounded the beloved Decatur restaurant, where Edna Lewis’s recipes inspired Scott Peacock’s weekly fried chicken dinners. It closed in 2019. Instagram @indigogirlsmusic Back to “Legends Look Ahead.” This article appears in our November 2026 issue. The post Four decades in, Indigo Girls are still inspired by Atlanta’s music scene appeared first on Atlanta Magazine. ...read more read less