Iyono has been singing since the day she was born. Moving on to perform in her mother’s group “Island Voices”, they traveled northern Ontario performing at fundraisers and outdoor concerts singing soulful Caribbean originals… in the purest form possible…a cappella.
Graduating high school at an early age, Iyono moved to the nation’s capital and continued her pursuit to perform for the crowds. Answering a newspaper ad for “singers needed”, she formed half of a vocally dynamic duo for a small band known as the “Soul Monkey Review”. From there she moved on to perform with Stone Soul Picnic, originally starting as a backup vocalist and moving on to one of three vocal powerhouses known as “The Picnics”. Her hunger didn’t stop there; she discovered the world of “studio” work and began lending her voice to demos, landing a spot on the 1998 Much Music compilation CD with the song “The Way (Is This Love)”, which she performed live on the French station MusiquePlus! She currently hones her IT skills with the federal government, but the pursuit to sing for the masses has never left. With years of singing experience in various venues under her belt, she currently performs as the lead vocalist for Ottawa’s “Destiny”, composed of music veterans of the Ottawa circuit. Past endeavors include “Lotion” and “Sugarphyx” as well as teaming with keyboardist Steve Geyer, with whom she currently performs with as a duo. She also lends her voice to local artists for session work and various musical projects. MUSICAL INFLUENCES Etta James, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimmy Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles … to name a few... |