Jalen Ngonda: "I just do what I do, and I’m happy people like it"

Jalen Ngonda possesses a rare kind of voice that seems to arrive from another age. Maryland-born and UK-based, the Daptone singer draws on Motown, Detroit soul, Chicago soul, gospel, New Orleans R&B and doo-wop.

His debut album, Come Around And Love Me, announced a remarkable talent. Ahead of his eagerly awaited new album, Doctrine Of Love, we sent Jalen a set of questions about its creation, as well as his dream collaborations, famous fans and massive shows.

The new album is called Doctrine Of Love – which sounds almost like a philosophy rather than just a record title. What does that phrase mean to you, and did you have a clear idea of the emotional world of the album before you started writing it?

Yes, it does sound like that. However, the truth is that I wrote the song and thought doctrine was like a doctorate. But then it just worked as a title and fitted, so people can make of it what they like!

A lot of your music is rooted in classic soul, but it never feels like you’re simply dressing up in the past. When you’re writing, how do you stop those influences from becoming pastiche?

It’s not a thing I do consciously. I love that era, and so of course it influences my writing. But I am very much a man of the present time, so I guess it’s just the way it comes out.

Daptone is a label with a very strong identity – Sharon Jones, Charles Bradley and The Dap-Kings, that whole analogue soul tradition. What did signing to Daptone allow you to do that might have been harder elsewhere?

They were an obvious choice as a label that could help me to make a modern, classic soul album, it’s as simple as that. Other labels I had spoken to before were more keen to do something less classic, frankly.

Your debut album, Come Around And Love Me, introduced a very elegant, romantic version of your sound. With Doctrine Of Love, were you trying to deepen that world, move away from it, or prove you could stretch it?

Not really, to be honest. I write a lot of songs – we just wrote a bunch and then chose the album. It was certainly deliberate to make another classic, straight-up soul album, and this one is probably a bit more '60s in style. But we wanted it to very much still be in line musically with Come Around And Love Me.

When you think about Detroit soul and Chicago soul, what are the differences you hear emotionally or rhythmically? Are they distinct worlds to you, or do they all blend into one wider tradition?

The differences I would hear would be the musicians playing on the record. I think Detroit and Chicago soul shared the same rhythms and emotion in their recording, mainly because they’re both rooted in gospel, blues and earlier R&B.

There’s a strong gospel feeling in parts of your music, even when the songs are secular. What does gospel give you as a singer – is it phrasing, intensity, harmony, conviction, or something more spiritual than technical?

Well, soul music is a combination of gospel and R&B, both possessing a lot of feeling. And yeah, conviction is an important part of it too.

You’ve been described as part of a wider new soul revival, alongside artists bringing older R&B and soul sounds back into contemporary music. Do you feel part of a movement, or are you mostly following your own private map of records, voices and influences?

I just do what I do, and I’m happy people like it. But it’s cool there are some other contemporary soul artists out there doing their thing.

Where did you record Doctrine Of Love, and how important was the room itself to the sound?

Daptone have their way of recording and it’s very analogue and real, so pretty important, I guess. It was partly recorded in California at Gabe Roth’s place, and partly in NYC at Mike Buckley and Vince Chiarito's studio, where we recorded Come Around And Love Me.

Was the record built live in the room with musicians, or was it assembled more gradually in layers?

It was tracked in California and then overdubs added in NYC.

Who were the key musicians, and were there particular players whose feel or instinct shaped the direction?

Mike and Vince play on the record and Brian Wolfe played drums; they are really the core of the recording band and have worked across many Daptone releases.

How much of the album was written before you went into the studio, and how much changed once you were in the room with the band?

All of it was written pre-recording and pretty much the core was demoed.

Did you go into the sessions with specific reference records in mind, or did you try to keep those ghosts out of the room?

When you go into a session, you probably have a bunch of stuff you’re listening to flying around your head. I often have certain '60s soul or classic rock tracks that could influence my songwriting.

The second half of the record sounds perhaps more personal and conflicted, especially around ‘I Can’t Ever Leave You’, ‘Hannah, What’s The Matter?’ and ‘Taken Out Of The Picture’. Was the album sequenced to move from public philosophy into private heartbreak?

No, I just write love songs and songs about the human condition. It was what I feel and what interests me, songs are stories really.

You recently appeared on Gorillaz’s The Mountain, on ‘The Moon Cave’ alongside Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur and Black Thought. That’s an extraordinary cast of voices – how did that collaboration come about, and what did it feel like to be placed in that lineage?

Damon Albarn’s team got in touch with my manager and of course it was great to be asked! Very happy to be a small part of that lineage.

You also worked with Jordan Rakei on ‘What It Gave Me’, recorded at Abbey Road. What was the chemistry like between you two in the studio, and did Abbey Road itself bring a certain pressure or romance to the session?

Absolute joy to work with Jordan, and doing it at Abbey Road (as a Beatles fan especially) was the cherry on top.

You’ve supported Olivia Dean on major arena dates, including the O2 in London. What do you learn from playing soul music in those bigger rooms, where you have to reach people who may not know you yet?

It was a great run of dates and was so good to be a part of. Not sure what I specifically learned, aside from loving playing those big shows!

People like Snoop Dogg, Jill Scott, Kehlani and Elton John have all been mentioned as supporters of your music. How does it feel when artists from different generations start responding to what you do?

It’s great to be recognised by your peers, it’s an honour.

You’ve now done major TV appearances, like Graham Norton, Colbert and Later… with Jools Holland. For music as vocally exposed as yours, what are those high-pressure performances like, and are they a very different discipline from your own shows?

I try not to think about TV performance being a high-pressure gig. It’s more exciting if anything, but when it comes to preparing to perform, I treat them like every other show, warms-ups etc.

Are there musical worlds outside soul that you’re increasingly curious about exploring?

Yeah! Saying no more than that, but who knows what the future holds?

Years from now, when people talk about this period of your life and these first records, what would you like them to say you were trying to do?

Being authentic and for doing my best, really.

• Doctrine Of Love is out now. Jalen Ngonda plays The Limelight, Belfast on August 27 and The National Stadium, Dublin (28).