How Ijeoma Ikokwu is Helping Spotlight Emerging Artists Through Grassroots Live Music Events Curation

In 2021, as the world was adjusting to the vagaries of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ijeoma Princess  Ikokwu, who studied law at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, Nigeria, took a leap of faith that would change the trajectory of her career for good. Stretching back to her childhood, she had always loved music, particularly how this art form provided musicians with a canvas for expressing their creativity. Now her love for music had blossomed into an interest in live music production and she longed to give back to her alma mater, through a music show. Though she was familiar with the entertainment world, she had never pulled off anything quite like this: her own event. Weighing the risks, and hurdles attendant with an event of that nature, she took a leap of faith, trusting her intuition and team of friends to bring the show, titled Rebirth, to fruition. Even though they had set their minds on a more conservative figure, they ended up selling well over 500 tickets. And with that, her journey into the world of grassroots live music production began. 

Today, she straddles a career as an entertainment lawyer with grassroots live music events curation. Days before Christmas last year we spoke over Google Meet. Donning a black shirt and large headphones, she swirled gently in an office chair and flashed a warm smile. “Sorry I’m still at the office, there might be background noises or a member of staff might need something in the office, and they might come in,” she informed me with a smile as we eased into the conversation. Behind her, on the cream wall of the office space, was a board with neat rows of notes acting as an interesting composition element. 

When one considers Ikokwu’s curatorial practice, what immediately stands out is its singular focus on platforming emerging artists from underrepresented groups. In a world increasingly barreling towards nihilism, as strongman figures fiercely champion transactional, and often rapacious, values as a new model for human interaction, Ikokwu’s work feels like a breath of fresh air. Her voice rises to an  ecstatic register when she talks about fostering partnerships between grassroots artists and helping them maximize their potential. Working with established artists or curating bigger events would make her more money—indeed she occasionally does this type of work—but helping emerging artists find their place in the industry and curating community-centered events is where her heart lies. “One beautiful thing about grassroots live music events is that not only do these events bring artists together, but they also create connections that last,” she says, beaming.

Our conversation traversed a range of topics, most notably her work in galvanizing grassroots live music events throughout her company Curated By The Entertainment Jurist. In September last year, under the aegis of her company, she curated Intersection: Gidi Meets London, a music event bringing together African artists in diaspora and UK-based artists. 

This conversation, transcribed below, has been edited lightly for clarity 

How are you feeling today?

I think I’m fine, I’m okay. Honestly, work has been stressful, but other than that, I’m doing exceptionally well. 

You seem to be caught up in a bit of work. Do you mind sharing what you’re working on?

So there’s an event I’m trying to pull together in February. And it’s taking a lot of my time. There’s no break for people like us who do events. It’s always meetings. It’s always having to plan. That’s what’s taking up my time. So I’m going to be working through the holidays. 

That sounds like a lot. Can you walk me through how you got into grassroots live music curation and event production?

So, there is a bit of a backstory but I started in 2021. I did the first show with my team, a concert called Rebirth, and it really was a way to give back to my alma mater, Olabisi Onabanjo University. My friends and I also wanted to create a concert to introduce the entertainment company that we worked for at that time.  In hindsight, we took a major risk because we sold out over 500 tickets and when we started planning, we weren’t expecting to even get that number of people in the hall. So it was a risk that we took that paid off and that was how I got into events.

That’s really impressive. I can imagine the pressure you felt taking that leap of faith.

Yeah, it was a lot of pressure. As for stage coordination and production, I got into that by working for (Show Dem Camp’s) Palmwine Festival. I worked on the Palmwine Festival in 2021, 2022 as well. So that’s the full story of how I got into stage coordination, production, and all that.

I’m very curious about how you got into the crew for the PalmWine Festival. Were you contracted because of the work you did on Rebirth; how did they make the connection? 

I had a work relationship with the manager of Show Dem Camp at the time, Godwin Tom, and he needed people to join the stage management team. That was in 2021. Since then I’ve worked with the team on the Palmwine festival in Lagos in 2022, the Palmwine Festival in London in 2023, No Love in Lagos in 2024; and I’ve just stayed with the team ever since. 

Anyone who works in the music industry has some idea, however patchy, of what an event producer or a grassroots music curator does. The mechanics of the job might however appear opaque to a layperson. How would you break down what you do in the capacity of your job to someone outside the music industry?

I used to think that grassroots live music events curation was just about selecting the artists and putting them on stage to perform for an audience. But when I got into events properly, I found out that it went beyond this. It has a lot to do with organizing, timing, and logistics. It involves caring for the artists, ensuring that the goal you have in mind is shown by the kind of artists that you select for the event, the kind of audience that you appeal to, and the kind of event space. I found out that curation is more than selection. It’s more like creation. It’s like creating a whole idea and ensuring that you are able to sell the idea.  So, to a layman, I would explain grassroots live music event curation as a way of connecting artists to an audience. 

I want to press that question a little bit more. What are the things you do, in the capacity of your job, before, during, and after an event?

Okay, I will start with the example of a live music event I independently funded and curated in September of 2025. It was called Intersection: Gidi Meets London. With Intersection, the context was that I had seen that several emerging artists who moved from back home (Africa) were so lost in the need to survive that they were not expressing their creativity properly. The goal for me was to give them a space to actually showcase their artistry while also connecting them to UK-based music artists. Before the event I had to research these young African artists who had moved from their home countries because they had to tell the story that I was trying to show the world. So if you look at the lineup for the event, 70 percent of the artists were African. Planning the event also involved logistics and collaboration, because I don’t work in isolation. I believe that collaboration is what makes grassroots live music events interesting. During the event, it was more of following a structure to the latter. And then afterward it was, of course, getting feedback.

What were some of the hurdles you had to overcome to bring the show to life? 

The biggest hurdle for me was getting people to believe in my vision. I had to reach out to stakeholders to make them believe in the vision that I was trying to create in the UK. After meeting upon meetings, I was able to tell the story I was trying to show the world.

What exactly about live music production called out to you at the start? You studied law and have a background in entertainment law, so what prompted you to make the jump? 

I’ve always loved events. Even while studying law I organized events in school. I also volunteered here and there. I think the pull for me is the care I have for artists,  the need to see that they’re able to freely express their creativity and not fall prey to exploiters. That’s why, while I work with established artists from time to time, I focus on emerging artists. 

Having successfully curated Intersection: Gidi Meets London, what’s next for you?

I intend to make it into a monthly industry night open mic event. I have the next one coming up at the end of February or the beginning of March and it’s going to be called Intersection Reloaded. One beautiful thing about grassroots live music events is that not only do these events bring artists together, but they also create connections that last.  For example, the artists who performed at Intersection were in a group chat, and after the show, they all decided to stay back (in the group),  and from that event, I have seen several collaborations between these artists. I believe that the future holds a lot and I’m just here to be an instrument.