Jalen Ngonda

Jalen Ngonda honours soul music’s rich history while pushing it forward into new territory, an artist who’s both archivist and explorer, a disciple of the greats actively shaping the future of music. Having spent the last three years growing this new soul vision from small clubs to arenas and festivals across the world Ngonda stands poised to become the new spokesman of authentic soul with the release of his second album Doctrine Of Love.

Born and raised in Maryland in the suburbs of Washington DC, the young Jalen found an early calling to the sounds of soul. “It started when I was 11 years old and I heard the Temptations on the radio,” he remembers. “It blew my mind. I was aware that it was old but to me I. Just thought „why does this sound so good?” One discovery led to another as he followed his passion down a vinyl strewn path. “I thought this was from 1964, so what else was released in 1964? So I’d listen to The Beatles, The Animals, Sonny & Cher. Didn’t care that it was old, I just loved the way it sounded.” Self-taught on guitar, drums and keyboards, Jalen found his first musical break playing drums in his local church. The same church several years later raised funds to help send Jalen to study music at LIPA in 2014, the Liverpool Institute Of Performing Arts founded by Paul McCartney. Within a year he was recording and performing his own music, moving to London in 2018 and pursuing his musical career, busking on the street before he was recording, clawing his way up, refining his sound, capturing the organic funk and soul of the classic 60s Chicago and Detroit but with his individual combination of natural charm, swagger, musicality and showstopping falsetto to grow into a soul icon that channels Marvin Gaye, Jackie Wilson or David Ruffin for the 21st Century.