Joshua Idehen

Named “the poet laureate of Jazz” by The Guardian, Joshua Idehen is a British-born Nigerian spoken word artist and musician. He has lent his voice and poetry to Mercury-nominated Channel the Spirits by The Comet Is Coming, and to Your Queen Is A Reptile and Black to the Future by Sons of Kemet, the latter a MOBO award winner. Working in collaboration with producers like Ludvig Parment and electronic maestro Daedelus (on Holy Water Over Sons), Idehen crafts a style that blends spoken word, jazz atmospherics and club-inflected beats. His recent EP Mum Does the Washing and mixtape Learn To Swim have earned both critical acclaim, praised for their vulnerability and sonic ambition. Onstage, he turns voice and verse into physical presence – a live show that feels like a conversation. At KOKO, expect poetry that moves you and melodies that carry you.