Jalen Ngonda
American soul musician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jalen N'Gonda (stylized as Jalen Ngonda; born 1994) is an American musician based in England. He came to prominence with the release of his debut studio album Come Around and Love Me (2023), and is known for his Motown-inspired soul music. N'Gonda is primarily a singer, but also plays various instruments during live performances.[1]
22 February 1994
- Singer
- songwriter
- guitarist
- keyboardist
Jalen Ngonda | |
|---|---|
Ngonda performing in Liverpool in 2025 | |
| Born | Jalen N'Gonda 22 February 1994 Wheaton, Maryland, U.S. |
| Education | Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, keyboard, drums |
| Label | |
Early life
Jalen N'Gonda was born in Wheaton, Maryland in 1994.[2] At age 11, N'Gonda discovered his love of Motown after listening to "My Girl" by The Temptations from his father's record collection. Eventually, his parents saved up to purchase N'Gonda a Fender Squier.[3] By age 16, N'Gonda was proficient in drums, guitar, piano and singing.[3]
At age 19, N'Gonda watched a documentary about a New York performing arts school and began to plan for his future, before learning about the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. N'Gonda enquired about enrolling, with the school's response indicating they had listened to his music on SoundCloud and personally encouraged him to apply. With funds raised from N'Gonda's family and local church, he secured a place at LIPA and booked a one-way flight to Liverpool to pursue a career in music.[4]
Career
N'Gonda completed a foundation year at LIPA, before dropping out mid-way through his first year, in an effort to continue producing and self-releasing his music.[5] He performed songs at local shows in Liverpool. Within a couple of years, N'Gonda had received multiple offers from record labels, performed at London's Royal Festival Hall and supported Lauryn Hill and Martha Reeves on tour.[6]
In 2022, N'Gonda signed with Daptone Records to record his debut studio album Come Around and Love Me (2023).[7] The album peaked at #68 on the UK Albums Chart, #4 on the UK Album Downloads Chart, and reached #1 on the UK Independent Album Breakers Chart.[8] The album released to critical acclaim, and received praise from Snoop Dogg, Kehlani, and Olivia Dean.[4][9] Elton John included the album's title track on his list of favorite 2023 songs, and further labelled N'Gonda as an artist to watch.[10][11]
In August 2024, N'Gonda performed on the West Holts stage at Glastonbury Festival, and returned in June 2025 on The Park stage with The Guardian calling the performance "stunning".[12]
In February 2024, N'Gonda released the single "Illusions", which peaked at #78 on the UK Singles Sales Chart.[13][14] In October 2024, N'Gonda released "Anyone in Love", which peaked at #21 on the UK Singles Sales Chart, and #14 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart.[15][16]
In 2025, Rolling Stone included N'Gonda in their annual Future of Music list, describing him as the "leading soul revivalist of this decade".[17] In April 2025, N'Gonda won Soul Act of the Year at the Jazz FM Awards.[18]
In March 2026, N'Gonda announced his sophomore studio album, Doctrine of Love, would be released on June 5.[19]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [20] |
SCO [20] | ||
| Come Around and Love Me |
|
68 | 33 |
| Doctrine of Love |
|
TBD | TBD |
EPs
- Talking About Mary (2018)
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [20] |
AUS [21] |
IRE [22] |
NZ [23] | ||||
| "Holler (When You Call My Name)" | 2016 | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Why I Try" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "I Need You" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "I Guess That Makes Me a Loser" | 2018 | — | — | — | — | Talking About Mary | |
| "We Fell Out of Love" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Just Like You Used To" | 2022 | 85 | — | — | — | Come Around and Love Me | |
| "What a Difference She Made" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "If You Don't Want My Love" | 2023 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Come Around and Love Me" | 9 | — | — | — | |||
| "That's All I Wanted From You" | 41 | — | — | — | |||
| "So Glad I Found You" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Illusions" | 2024 | 78 | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Here to Stay" | 54 | — | — | — | |||
| "Anyone in Love" | 14 | — | — | — | |||
| "Just As Long As We're Together" | 2025 | — | — | — | — | ||
| "All About Me" | 76 | — | — | — | |||
| "Doctrine of Love" | 2026 | — | — | — | — | Doctrine of Love | |
| "Hang it On the Shelf" | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes recording that did not chart in that territory. | |||||||
Awards and nominations
| Year | Awards | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Jazz FM Awards | Soul Act of the Year | Jalen Ngonda | Won | [18] |