I watch far too many TV shows—this much is certain. For a while, I tried to justify the addiction. Watching them in the original language does improve your vocabulary, right? But as it turns out, they also expand your horizons. Take the long-forgotten series Fairly Legal, for example. It introduced me to two things: the concept of mediation and the music of Iyeoka, a truly magical artist.
Three years after discovering her through that show, I went to her concert in Moscow. It was, without exaggeration, the best thing I’ve seen or heard in decades. Iyeoka’s music is an explosive blend of jazz, rock, hip-hop, mantras, soul, and Nigerian culture. Her otherworldly voice both inspires and electrifies. She sings about love and the universe, and she does so with a rawness that leaves you spellbound.
The concert lasted two hours, followed by a half-hour encore of pure improvisation with her band. How do you describe a show like that? Words fail. Phrases like “Wow” and “Unbelievable” come to mind, but they barely scratch the surface. Anything more coherent would make me sound like an overexcited teenager, so I’ll just stop here.
👍👍
Iyeoka
16 Tonnes Club, Moscow
Elia Kabanov is a science writer covering the past, present and future of technology (@metkere).
Illustration by Elia Kabanov feat. Midjourney
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