currently manifesting everything I believe in…

Welcome to the official site of Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo

"Iyeoka embodies such a unique gift, which she beautifully and willingly shares. It is the gift of transmuting one's personal experience into a collective expression of the human condition. - Margaret Wheatley, author, "Leadership and the New Science"

news

PLEDGE today & LOCK IN a PRE-ORDER OF IYEOKA’S NEW ALBUM!!!

TriBe UP!!!

JOIN IYEOKA’S Inner TriBe on KICKSTARTER for a major 90 day fundraising campaign that will help this rising star on the final mile of completing her full length album!

Campaign begins on February 28th and ends on May 27th 2010.




  • Share/Bookmark

Until I Overflow: Unearthing Your Creative Genius through Writing and Poetry

Esalen

Weekend of July 2-4, 2010

The Esalen Institute
Workshop Hosted by Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo

This workshop is for both beginning and experienced writers, slam poets, actors, and non-writers who seek to discover the empowering medium of poetry. Through group exercises and nightly jam ciphers, participants will form a fertile environment to express their creative poetic soul.

Writing can become a spiritual exploration that brings you into contact with your authentic voice. The aim of this workshop is to bring each participant face to face with the invincible spirit of his or her own being. Weave a spellbinding tale, tell the burning story or poem that will tap into the genius and beauty inside of you, lifting you into greater self-expression, passion, freedom, and joy. Here we experience deliberate spiritual nourishment and poetic powers to recharge our spirits, bodies, and hearts.

Please note: On July 3rd there will be a property-wide celebration with live entertainment. This event is open to the public.

Reservations Information (Accommodations & Pricing)

  • Share/Bookmark

GET TO KNOW IYEOKA

IYEOKA is a lover of the usual–anything in full bloom, crescent moons, summer rain, miracles, most fellas named David, lazy days in June, ALL usages of the smiley face emoticon, good movies, beagles in need of a little love and a lot of exercise, soulful melodies, skinny dippers, electric blankets in the winter, happily ever after endings, watching a beautiful woman dive into an ocean and a truly brave man dive after her, poems that begin at the end, poems with clever beginnings, subliminal morals in a story, and catching side glances of thunder and rainbows in waterfalls;

IYEOKA is the sworn enemy of the ugly side of beauty, dirty underwear, MTV’s Real World except for the very first one that was the one and only REAL real world, permanent frowns–although she believes she can turn them upside down with her don’t worry be happy songs, general mud throwers and stereotypes that all Nigerians are 419 scam cons.

Born and raised in the heart of Boston by two very deep rooted Nigerian parents, Iyeoka learned from an early age the value of education and the poison of poverty, the meaning of words like hope and change and the power we have to manifest the change you were hoping for.

Now on her third installment to her life’s work, she writes deep, lyrical, catchy, soul-baring music that has drawn comparisons to the timbre of Sade and the thirst of a young undiscovered Nina Simone. She has two independent releases under her belt, 2004’s LP “Black and Blues”; 2008’s LP “Hum the Bass Line”, both produced by Francis Phan; and Fall 2009 releases of 2 of 3 EP’s leading to her third full length project, a self-titled debut album with independent label Underground Sun Records.

On the eve of mainstream recognition, Iyeoka’s newest single “The Yellow Brick Road Song”, produced by composer David Franz and recently placed in the third episode of HBO’s newest series “How To Make It In America”, embodies the raw philosophies of a hopeless optimist highlighting messages to the world that “…I know just how possible we are, we can follow our own yellow brick road. And there’s no tornado that can stop us now!”

Iyeoka is currently recording songs between Boston and LA while traveling to distances near and far offering her music and poetry for a living.

The Yellow Brick Road song by Iyeoka

more music here:

http://www.jango.com/music/IYEOKA

  • Share/Bookmark


The Yellow Brick Road song by Iyeoka

  • Share/Bookmark

Boston Phoenix Best Local Poet 2010

IMG_9196

As you may know, Iyeoka had the great honor of representing BOSTON at the Individual World Poetry Slam Competition in October 2009 and pulled off a 2nd place victory! Well, the nomination period for Best Boston Poet 2010 is open. We’d be thrilled to have you consider IYEOKA for this spot, so if you’d like, please do nominate her! You can do this by Clicking the VOTE NOW link above or by going to: http://thephoenix.com/thebest/boston/vote/nominate.aspx?cat=arts#10109 and entering “Iyeoka” in the POET category. Your vote doesn’t count until you finish with their two-part process. First, you must click “Submit Vote” and then after, you must click “Finished” and enter an e-mail address. They won’t add you to a list if you don’t check the “add me” box. If you feel uncomfortable using your real address, you can also always use any address at Mailinator.com, which can be checked (if you want to) on their web site.

————————————————————————-
This is the girl who passed through a real rainbow two weeks ago on her way to a mountaintop that asked her to arrive 2 hrs earlier. She took her time, daydreamed sweetly in her rental car. She celebrated the detours. Turns out the rainbow waited for her.
————————————————————————–

Sound: With a sweet soul vibe reminiscent of Sade and a fresh mix of LIVE and electronic instrumentation from production duo David Franz and Francis Phan, the new sound of spoken-word soulstress, Iyeoka (pronounced “EE-yo-kah”) is emerging as a perfect balance of thought provoking lyrics, captivating vocals and gratifying music production.

The name of the new EP “This Time Around” is far from just a slogan or a silent vow. This Time Around is an anthem addressing the hopes and dreams of each of us, from the individual to the Nation, and the innate power we all have within us to change everything. As we navigate through one of the most transitional periods of our generation, Iyeoka’s music speaks of the journey that catapults us through the challenges and triumphs, chronicling the trajectory of our lives as an extraordinary people and the changes we’d like to make This Time Around.

  • Share/Bookmark

Iyeoka on The Dr. Thema Show **THURSDAY** 1/7/10

Tune in tomorrow to The Dr. Thema Show a weekly live internet show focused on healthy living – mentally, physically, and spiritually.  Tomorrow’s topic is “Step out on faith and follow your dreams”.  Dr. Thema will be interviewing Poetry Slam Champion and rising soul singer Iyeoka as well as Pastor Jamal Bryant, founder of Empowerment Temple.  The program is available on-line live from 12 – 1pm Pacific and 3 – 4pm Eastern.  You don’t want to miss it.  When the number is given if you have a question about following your dreams or advice to our listening audience, feel free to call-in.  Just go the following link to catch the show:
http://drthema.com/radio/

Thema Bryant-Davis, PhD
President Elect, Society for the Psychology of Women
Associate Professor of Psychology, Pepperdine University
Author, Thriving in the wake of trauma: A multicultural guide
www.drthema.com

  • Share/Bookmark

the point is, she’s my hero.

i’m thinking about my mother as I’m writing this. last poem i wrote for my mother was over 10 years ago. I spoke about her hands. she loved that poem. Now that I know her so much better—I can smile at memories that I used to remember differently. i see you now mommy.

___________________________________________________________

i’m a traveler

i travel for love

to love

in search of–

pulled by it

i make it

with moments

i inherited my spirit

from my mother Aminetu.

She journeyed to the US

from Nigeria for love.

she claims for education

i say she did it for love

she loves him

Daddy needed to be challenged by an educated woman

So she gave birth to 4 children–this self made woman

She managed to achieve the highest degree in her field of education.

I call her Doctor Mommy sometimes. She loves that. My mom is just like me—

full of passion, chases rainbows like it’s her undercover mission.

She taught me how to survive everything.

She prays for me often.

I love that.

She makes me feel like

I

am

in good

hands

  • Share/Bookmark

sparks of creativity. productive productivity. the next idea. i could go on forever with this. i think i farmed 7 harmonies today. Honestly, I have no idea what makes the perfect combination that completes me. What I do know is that Life doesn’t end in December–just the calendar year. Leads me to believe that new years have new meaning and “meaning” is a big deal. FIND IT in the moments you choose to invest in. Take this as your calling—your OMEN of good things coming, your vision of a beckon. You can begin again. Not quite born again. But close enough to taste the wind like it was your first time flying.

(THESE WORDS born FROM A BLOG I WROTE HERE) because i gotta trick myself into writing sometimes.

  • Share/Bookmark

I sculpted my spirit a perception of love.

I beckoned my heart to look upon this image daily

and return with word of the vision the heart felt.

The heart confessed that her eyes were hungry.

Distant was the memory of her last love’s feast.

Lost was the promise of a love labeled new.

The heart replied lovingly to me,

“This sculpture reminds me of you.”

Iyeoka ivie Okoawo 2009 ©

  • Share/Bookmark

NEW IYEOKA TRACKS NOW ON LALA.COM!!!

YOU ARE JUST ONE CLICK AWAY…

leave a review on the LALA site. She likes it when you TESTIFY.

  • Share/Bookmark