Lady Ponce
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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 Bikutsi is a musical genre from Cameroon. It developed from the traditional styles of the Beti, or Ewondo, people, who live around the city of Yaoundé. It was popular in the middle of the 20th century in West Africa. It is primarily dance music. ...
'' (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 Mbalmayo is a town in Cameroon's Centre Province, Cameroon, Centre Region. The town had 60,091 inhabitants in 2012. It is the capital of the Nyong-et-So'o, Nyong-et-So'o Division It is located at the banks of the Nyong river between Ebolowa and ...
, Cameroon. Following the death of her mother in 1999, she moved to
Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the Capital city, capital city of Cameroon. It has a population of more than 2.8 million which makes it the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region (Cameroon), Centre Region o ...
, 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 U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
, 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 Boule Noire. The hall can accommodate 1,3 ...
, on 21 January 2017. In July 2018, Ngono headlined Afrofest at
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
's Woodbine Beach. In December 2018, Ngono went on a one-month national tour, visiting Yaoundé,
Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region (Cameroon), Littoral Region. It was home to Central Africa's largest port, now being replaced by Kribi port. It has the country ...
,
Bafoussam Bafoussam is the capital and largest city of the West Region (Cameroon), 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'' (Urba ...
,
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 a city in Cameroon. It is the capital of the South Region (Cameroon), South Region and the Mvila department. Its economy is primarily agricultural, with cocoa bean being its main crop. Economy Agriculture Agriculture is the primar ...
.


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 organiza ...
, 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 city hall. To maintain secrecy and avoid
paparazzi Paparazzi (singular form paparazzo) are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile people, such as actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other celebrities who go about their daily life routines. Paparazzi are known f ...
, 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) * Légende (2025)


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 Paul Biya (born Paul Barthélemy Biya'a bi Mvondo, 13 February 1933) is a Cameroonian politician who has been serving as the second president of Cameroon since 1982. He was previously the fifth Prime Minister of Cameroon, prime minister under Pre ...
.


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)