About me

Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo is a Nigerian-American poet/singer residing in Boston. Winner of "Performance Poet of the Year" and "Slam Poet of the Year" for the 2003 Cambridge Poetry Awards, Iyeoka initially gained national attention in the National Poetry Slam. For the past 5 years she has been a strong member of the Boston Slam Team 2000-2004.As a member of the 2000 Boston Slam Team, she won fourth place overall in the individual competition. She has opened up for numerous artist such as Gil Scot Heron with the Jeff Robinson Trio and most recently Vivian Green performing at Afrocentrics. She has been featured at the House of Blues in Boston, the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, and Avalon where she opened up for the hip-hop/soul recording artist Musiq Soulchild. Iyeoka was showcased in Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam airing on HBO and was a highlight on the late night CBS hip hop show The SOURCE ALL ACCESS.Combining her vocal talents, passion for writing and theater background, she captivates audiences with pieces that touch on a wide range of issues-love, women, culture, struggle, relationships, among many others. Iyeoka's performance was described at the National Poetry Slam as "a conversation stopper" and a "refreshing return to the essence of good spoken word poetry." In 2004 Iyeoka released her second album LP "Black and Blues" through Phanai Records.Black & Blues is the solo debut album from nationally award winning slam poet Iyeoka (sounds like- tapioca), formerly one of the leaders for one of Boston poetry’s most artistically proactive groups, BlackoutBoston. The record is full of groove-laden, contemporary R&B singalongs, most recorded with a full band -- heavy on the bass, keys, and poetry-- and no reliance on sampling.Much of Black & Blues focuses on the songwriting and delivery with just enough attention paid to the groove.