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Soul singer-songwriter Jalen Ngonda has announced his sophomore album, Doctrine of Love, out on June 5th via Daptone Records. He’s also revealed the project’s title track.
Ngonda, one of our 2026 Artists to Watch, crafted Doctrine of Love with producers Vince Chiarito and Michael Buckley. It follows his 2023 debut Come Around and Love Me and reprises his nostalgic, Motown-inspired sound; Ngonda was also inspired by his roots in the church for Doctrine of Love. In between releases, Ngonda has toured globally, performed a major set at Glastonbury 2025, and guested on the new Gorillaz album The Mountain.
As a preview of his new project, Ngonda has revealed “Doctrine of Love,” another towering and impassioned turn from the Washington D.C.-raised, London-based performer. The song shows off his howling, raspy tenor; though the verses’ minor chords imply a bit of conflict, he lets the sunshine in on the chorus, with “step right up!” backing vocals and a few commanding belts. It’s some sweeping soul music, an appropriate introduction to Ngonda’s classic style and expressive voice.
Regarding “Doctrine of Love,” Ngonda said in a statement: “I wrote that track when I was trying to do anything to get out of the studio. I was listening to a lot of James Brown at the time and that was an inspiration. ‘Doctrine’ to me was a word no one ever uses. I took it to be like a certificate, the ‘Certificate of Love’ — look, I think maybe I meant ‘doctorate’, but we wrote it and recorded it and now it’s a whole thing. I just write the song. The listener can interpret it however they want.” Stream “Doctrine of Love” below.
Ngonda will support Doctrine of Love with a slate of UK and European dates this year, including stops at Mad Cool Festival, Way Out West, and more. Get tickets to Ngonda’s international tour dates on viagogo.
Doctrine of Love Artwork:
Doctrine of Love Tracklist:
01. Anyone in Love
02. Doctrine of Love
03. Mr Train Conductor
04. Burning Temptation
05. Love is Gone
06. I Can’t Ever Leave You
07. Hannah, Whats The Matter?
08. Good Good Love
09. Hang it On The Shelf
10. Taken Out Of The Picture
English (US) · 