Adèle Ruffine Ngono, known by her stage name Lady Ponce, is a Cameroonian singer and songwriter. She is also known as "''La Reine de Bikutsi'' (the Queen of Bikutsi). In 2014, Ngono was named a knight of the Order of Valour.

Early life

Ngono was born in

Mbalmayo Mbalmayo is a town in Cameroon's Centre Region. The town had 60,091 inhabitants in 2012. It is the capital of the Nyong-et-So'o Division It is located at the banks of the Nyong river between Ebolowa and Yaoundé. It is an agricultural centre ...

, Cameroon. Following the death of her mother in 1999, she moved to

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the capital of Cameroon and, with a population of more than 2.8 million, the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region of the nation at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,50 ...

, where she joined ''Chapelle d’Essos'', the local choir. Ngono performed in cabarets at Camp Sonel and ''La Cascade''.

Career

In 2007, Ngono released her first album, ''Le ventre et le bas-ventre'', which consisted of six songs. The album led to her winning the Canal 2'Or's Best Voice and Musical Revelation awards for that year. Ngono followed up the success of her first album with three albums produced by Jean Pierre Saah: ''Confession'' in 2009, ''La loi du talion'' in 2011, and ''Bombe atomique'' in 2012, containing ten, twelve, and twelve tracks respectively. In 2015, she released ''Bain de sons'', consisting of eighteen songs. In 2017, she released "''Patrimonie''", an album regarding her early life, consisting of twelve tracks and produced by KMG Productions. In July 2016, Ngono performed at the Viking Center in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, US. In April 2017, she sang at SEG Geneva Arena for the Afrikan Zik Festival, and later at

La Cigale La Cigale (; English: ''The Cicada'') is a theatre located at 120, boulevard de Rochechouart near Place Pigalle, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The theatre is part of a complex connected to the Le Trabendo concert venue and the Boule No ...

, on 21 January 2017. In July 2018, Ngono headlined Afrofest at

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Woodbine Beach Woodbine Beach is the largest of the four beaches in the Beaches in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located along Lake Shore Boulevard at the foot of Woodbine Avenue, it is next to Ashbridge's Bay and Kew-Balmy Beach. Woodbine beach is the westernmost b ...

. In December 2018, Ngono went on a one-month national

tour Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

, visiting Yaoundé,

Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region. Home to Central Africa's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport (DLA), it is the com ...

Bafoussam Bafoussam is the capital and largest city of the West Region of Cameroon, in the Bamboutos Mountains. It is the 3rd most important (financially) city in Cameroon, after Yaoundé and Douala. The ''communauté urbaine'' (Urban Community) of Bafous ...

Ngaoundéré Ngaoundéré, or N'Gaoundéré (Fula: N'gamdere 𞤲'𞤺𞤢𞤥𞤣𞤫𞥅𞤪𞤫𞥅) is the capital of the Adamawa Region of Cameroon. It had a population of 152,700 at the 2005 census. According to the film ''Les Mairuuwas – Maitre de l' ...

and

Ebolowa Ebolowa is the capital of Cameroon's South Region. It has a population of 79,500 (2001 estimate). It is a colonial town and a notable agricultural centre. Overview The main crop is cocoa. It also hosts an important number of administrative se ...

Personal life

In 2011, it was rumoured that Ngono died after a fatal childbirth in Paris – however this was quickly debunked by her relatives. In February 2019, rumours surfaced that she had died in a car accident. In 2011, Ngono criticized then-Cameroonian

Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organizatio ...

, Ama Tutu Muna, for not doing enough to help artists – citing slow copyright request responses and limited financial support. In 2015, she donated equipment and supplies to FoundationFact, an orphanage in Yaoundé. On 21 November 2018, Ngono married Aloys Tsafack, a Cameroonian manager and producer known as ''Dieu Cyclone'', at a reception near

Les Clayes-sous-Bois Les Clayes-sous-Bois () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the center. The Clayes-sous-Bois inhabitants are called "Clétiens" (possibl ...

city hall. To maintain secrecy and avoid

paparazzi Paparazzi (, ; ; singular: masculine paparazzo or feminine paparazza) are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile people; such as actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other celebrities, typically while subjects ...

, Ngono advertised the wedding was to be at 3:30 pm, then held it at 9:00 am. Ngono is a mother of three children. Cameroonian media colloquially refers to Ngono as "''La Reine de Bikutsi''", which translates to "The Queen of Bikutsi".

Discography

Albums

* ''Le ventre & le bas-ventre'' (2007) * ''Confession'' (2009) * ''La loi du talion'' (2011) * ''Bombe atomique'' (2012) * ''Bain de sons'' (2015) * ''Patrimoine'' (2017)

Singles

* ''La la la'' (2014) * ''Obele'' (2017) * ''Me Ndigui Yem'' (2017) * ''Espoir'' (2017) * ''Connais-tu l'amour'' (2017) * ''Fidélité Kmer'' (2019)

Awards

On 20 May 2014, Ngono was awarded with the Order of Valour by president

Paul Biya Paul Biya (born Paul Barthélemy Biya'a bi Mvondo; 13 February 1933) is a Cameroonian politician who has served as the president of Cameroon since 6 November 1982.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Living people 21st-century Cameroonian women singers Recipients of the Order of Valour Year of birth missing (living people) People from Centre Region (Cameroon)