Jalen Ngonda is an American singer-songwriter from Wheaton, Maryland, based in England since 2014, where he studied at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. He records for Brooklyn's Daptone Records, and his 2023 debut album "Come Around and Love Me" reached #1 on the UK Independent Album Breakers Chart, drawing praise from Elton John and a Rolling Stone nod as the "leading soul revivalist of this decade". His second album, "Doctrine of Love", followed in June 2026, backed by an extensive world tour.
Jalen Ngonda released his second album "Doctrine of Love" on June 5, 2026 via Daptone Records and announced a major North American tour starting in Chicago on November 10.
In March 2026, Ngonda announced "Doctrine of Love" and a world tour with performances at festivals such as Øya Festival, NN North Sea Jazz Festival, and Way Out West.
In April 2025, Ngonda won the Soul Act of the Year award at the Jazz FM Awards.
In 2024, Ngonda released the singles "Illusions" and "Here To Stay" and completed a sold-out tour in the USA, UK, and Europe.
Rolling Stone included Ngonda on its annual Future of Music list and described him as "the decade's leading soul-revivalist".
