Jalen Ngonda is one of the most captivating performers on today’s soul scene. His voice, equal parts raw feeling and elegance, exudes confidence and charm.

He grew up in a music loving family on the outskirts of Washington D.C, and began musical studies in grade school, where he dabbled in violin, ultimately moving on to the guitar and piano. His inspiration came from listening to his father’s collection of Motown CDs (The Temptations, Mary Wells, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles), which opened his eyes to the vastness of American music, guiding him along a path of constant study and discovery–from early blues to gospel to jazz to rock & soul.

Writing songs since he was 14, his compositions are also very much of these times. He explains, “I love music from the 20th century— I listen to it all the time, but I’m in this world and the 21st century. ...to a stranger, I’d describe my music as modern soul and R&B, while trying to fit in the Beach Boys and the Beatles somewhere in between.”