Jalen Ngonda grew up in Maryland and moved to the UK at 19 to study at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, DIY Magazine reported. He started out posting songs to SoundCloud and playing shows around Liverpool, and went on to support Martha Reeves and Lauryn Hill.
The sound
Consequence describes his music as Motown-inspired soul sung in a howling, raspy tenor. DIY notes his backing arrangements draw on the Funk Brothers and that the Temptations were what first pulled him in. For the title track of his new album, he cited James Brown.
The records
Daptone Records released his first 45, “Just Like You Used To,” in 2022. His debut album, Come Around and Love Me, followed Sept. 8, 2023, and reached No. 68 in the UK. His second, Doctrine of Love, came out June 5, 2026, produced by Vince Chiarito and Michael Buckley, and reached No. 29 on the UK Albums Chart.
Why now
In the UK he has played Glastonbury and appears as a guest on the Gorillaz album The Mountain. In the U.S., his audience is still catching up. His North American tour runs Nov. 10 to Dec. 3 with Brooke Combe opening, and it ends at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on Dec. 3.
Official links
Sources
- DIY Magazine: Jalen Ngonda interview
- Consequence: Jalen Ngonda, Doctrine of Love
- Official Charts: Jalen Ngonda
- Daptone Records: Jalen Ngonda
- V13: Jalen Ngonda 2026 North American tour
- AXS: Jalen Ngonda at The Fonda Theatre
