Soul phenom Jalen Ngonda shares new single “Hang it On The Shelf”. The second offering from his forthcoming sophomore album Doctrine of Love, Jalen’s new song radiates warmth through a timeless, uptempo groove. Both early offerings from Jalen’s new album demonstrate his guiding principle for Doctrine of Love – serving as a contemporary conduit for the spirit of 60s and 70s soul music without clichés. Jalen imbues those classic sounds with the essence of modern pop and R&B through his once-in-a-generation voice.

 

 

The new single arrives with the news that Jalen has been invited by GRAMMY Award-winner Olivia Dean to join her sold out run of European arena dates across April, May and June. That run of arena dates coincides with his own headline shows throughout Europe leading into the Summer where he’ll play a number of festivals across the continent including Love Supreme (UK), North Sea Jazz (Rotterdam) and Mad Cool (Madrid). This Fall, he’ll embark on the Doctrine of Love European tour, beginning October 2nd in Amsterdam.

Jalen’s sophomore album widens the aperture on his signature sound, drawing from a more diverse collection of sounds from the musical era that’s captivated him since childhood. He chronologically places the album in the late ‘60s, steeping his voice in the quintessential funk and soul of that era, while experimenting with folk rock, doo wop, and the early rock ’n’ roll of 1950’s New Orleans records. Doctrine of Love solidifies Jalen’s place as a torchbearer for the future of soul music in the lineage of the genre’s leading men, informed by his scholarship of the early history of rock ‘n’ roll, blues, soul and gospel.

Working alongside close collaborators Vince Chiarito and Michael Buckley once again, the new album brims with a proven level of poise and confidence following the success of his critically-acclaimed debut album Come Around and Love Me. His debut in 2023 triggered a staggering rise, with Jalen making his US TV debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and appearances on Graham Norton and Later with Jools Holland. His viral hit single “If You Don’t Want My Love” has racked up over 253 million streams to date and he achieved A-list rotation on BBC 2, BBC 6 Music and Jazz FM across multiple singles. Jalen has also collaborated with the likes of Jordan Rakei and Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz, who tapped Jalen to be featured on their newly-released album The Mountain.

Upcoming Live Dates:

*= w/ Olivia Dean

4/22 – York, UK @ York Barbican
4/23 – Glasgow, GB @ OVO HYDRO Arena*
4/25 – Oxford, UK @ O2 Academy Oxford4/26 – Manchester, UK @ Co Op Arena*
4/27 – Sheffield, UK @ Octagon
4/29 – Margate, UK @ The Drill Shed
4/30 – London, UK @ O2 Arena*
5/1 – London, UK @ O2 Arena*
5/3 – Liverpool, UK @ Liverpool Sound City
5/4 – Cheltenham, UK @ Cheltenham Jazz Festival
5/5 – Leicester, UK @ O2 Academy Leicester
5/11 – Rouen, FR @ Le 106
5/12 – Luxembourg City, LU @ Den Atelier
5/14 – Copenhagen, DK @ Royal Arena*
5/16 – Oslo, NO @ Unity Arena*
5/17 – Stockholm, SE @ Avicii Arena*
5/19 – Strasbourg, FR @ La Laiterie
5/20 – Zurich, CH @ Hallenstaden*
5/22 – Milan, IT @ Fiera Milano*
6/14 – Amsterdam, NL @ Ziggo Dome*
6/26 – St. Gallen, CH @ OpenAir St. Gallen
6/28 – Milton Keynes, UK @ SMK Live Festival
7/4 – Glynde, UK @ Love Supreme Festival
7/10 – Rotterdam, NL @ North Sea Jazz
7/11 – Madrid, ES @ Mad Cool Festival
7/12 – Birmingham, UK @ Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul
7/17 – Pori, FI @ KIRJURINLUOTO
7/24 – Suffolk, UK @ Latitude Festival
8/5 – Rome, IT @ Casa Del Jazz
8/7 – Locorotondo, IT @ Masseria Ferragnan
8/13 – Oslo, NO @ Øyafestivalen
8/14 – Gothenburg, SE @ Way Out West
8/30 – Portsmouth, UK @ Victorious Festival
10/2 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
10/3 – Groningen, NL @ De Oosterpoort
10/5 – Cologne, DE @ Carlswerk Victoria
10/6 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique
10/8 – Paris, FR @ L’Olympia
10/9 – Lille, FR @ L’Aéronef
10/11 – Munich, DE @ Muffathalle10/12 – Zurich, CH @ X-Tra
10/14 – Berlin, DE @ Huxleys
10/15 – Hamburg, DE @ Grosse Freiheit 36
10/16 – Copenhagen, DK @ Amarger Bio
10/24 – Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy
10/27 – Bournemouth, UK @ O2 Academy
10/28 – London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
11/1 – Leeds, UK @ Project House
11/2 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom
11/3 – Manchester, UK @ Academy