Jalen Ngonda

Jalen Ngonda brings a distinctive approach to traditional R&B through his soaring tenor and introspective songwriting. Originally from Maryland, he has resided in London since enrolling at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. He first appeared in 2016 and, after several singles plus an EP, aligned with Daptone Records. Working with the Brooklyn label, he released a 2022 7" single and the 2023 album Come Around and Love Me, a set of romantic tracks anchored in late-'60s and early-'70s soul.

His passion for soul ignited in childhood after watching the miniseries The Temptations about the Motown group. That experience prompted him to collect Motown and Stax releases and study the liner notes in detail. He also embraced classic rock and pop from the same era, and around that time he took up guitar and piano while beginning to compose songs. After community college, Ngonda moved to England to attend the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and performed with bands. He launched his solo career with the self-released 2016 single "Holler (When You Call My Name)," then issued four more singles across 2017 and the first half of 2018. In mid-2018 he delivered the EP Talking About Mary, which gathered two earlier singles, an acoustic version of a third, and the new pleading ballad "Don't You Remember," his most popular track to date. By then he had headlined shows throughout the U.K. and abroad while opening for Motown legend Martha Reeves, Lauryn Hill, and Laura Mvula.

Daptone Records took interest after hearing his music through his manager, yet plans to record in New York were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ngonda kept developing material at his London base. Demos he wrote with Sam Knowles (aka Karma Kid) reached the label, and with Stateside production by Mike Buckley and Vince Chiarito (both of Ikebe Shakedown) the 2020 recordings became the 2022 Daptone 7" single "What a Difference She Made" b/w "Just Like You Used To." Once travel restrictions lifted, Ngonda met the Daptone team in person and wrote and recorded enough songs for an album. Come Around and Love Me, which includes both sides of the 2022 single within a cohesive set of new material, appeared on the label in September 2023.