Born in Wheaton, Maryland in 1994, a young Jalen N’Gonda discovered his love for the Motown sound early whilst perusing his father’s record collection. After learning guitar, drums, piano, and developing his unique singing voice, the teenaged Jalen eventually learned of the Liverpool School for Performing Arts – becoming determined to join it as a burgeoning musician.
His family and church community raised the funds for him to attend LIPA, and so he booked a one-way ticket to Liverpool in 2014. It wasn’t long before he received offers from multiple record labels. After signing with Daptone Records, Jalen (now stylising his surname as Ngonda) would release his debut studio album, Come Around and Love Me, to critical acclaim and commercial success in 2023.
His rise can certainly be described as meteoric – and his sound as both newfangled and nostalgic. Drawing heavily on the classically soulful sound of Motown with a novel and personalised approach, Come Around and Love Me sounds like a glittering, gleaming time capsule full of unvarnished feeling and soaring sentiment.
For fans of old-school Motown and new movements in soul music, Jalen Ngonda now counts as a modern leading voice.
Luxembourgers can look forward to Ngonda’s upcoming concert at den Atelier on Tuesday, 12 May, as he’s promised that the show will include some of his most popular tracks as well as new material. Tickets are already available on den Atelier’s site for this unique chance to be part of Jalen Ngonda’s rise to soul-revival stardom.
