Boston-based Nigerian-American recording artist, award winning poet, and TED fellow Iyeoka is at the forefront of creating a new artistic genre that gracefully interweaves spoken word poetry with pop, R&B, dance, hiphop and electronic soul.
A few of Iyeoka’s many accolades include recipient of 2010 TED Global Fellow and winner of 2009 Individual World Poetry Slam Champion. 2016 brought her back to TED to host a conference last June. Her family started and runs the Amenawon Foundation to help less fortunate people in her home country of Nigeria. This is a repeating theme in many of her poems and songs.
Iyeoka means “I want to be respected” in her native Esan language and the artist is the true embodiment of her name. Daughter of Nigerian-born parents who both hold Doctorate degrees from Boston University, Iyeoka was a practicing pharmacist before launching her career as a poet, singer, activist and educator. By channeling her culture and ancestral influences, she delivers an authentic and inspiring message of healing through her expression in the arts. Iyeoka has toured in support of artists such as Femi Kuti, Zap Mama and Soul Live.
