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 The Order of Valour is an order of knighthood of Cameroon. History It is regulated by the ordonnance N° 72/24 of 30 November 1972. It is one of the four orders of Cameroon:Mbalmayo, Cameroon. Following the death of her mother in 1999, she moved to Yaoundé, 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, US. In April 2017, she sang at SEG Geneva Arena for the Afrikan Zik Festival, and later at La Cigale, on 21 January 2017. In July 2018, Ngono headlined Afrofest at Toronto's Woodbine Beach. In December 2018, Ngono went on a one-month national tour, visiting Yaoundé, Douala, Bafoussam, Ngaoundéré and Ebolowa.

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,

Ama Tutu Muna Ama Tutu Muna (born 17 July 1960) is a Cameroonian politician who was the Minister of Arts and Culture from 2007 to 2015. Early life and education Muna was born in Limbe in Southwest Province on 17 July 1960. She is the youngest of eight childr ...

, 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 Alois (Latinized ''Aloysius'') is an Old Occitan form of the name Louis. Modern variants include ''Aloïs'' ( French), ''Aloys'' (German), ''Alois'' (Czech), ''Alojz'' ( Slovak, Slovenian), ''Alojzy'' (Polish), ''Aloísio'' (Portuguese, Spanish, ...

, a Cameroonian manager and producer known as ''Dieu Cyclone'', at a reception near Les Clayes-sous-Bois city hall. To maintain secrecy and avoid paparazzi, 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 The Order of Valour is an order of knighthood of Cameroon. History It is regulated by the ordonnance N° 72/24 of 30 November 1972. It is one of the four orders of Cameroon:Paul Biya.

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)