Lady Ponce

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.

Lady Ponce
Lady Ponce in 2012
Background information
Birth name	Adèle Ruffine Ngono
Also known as	La Reine de Bikutsi[1]
Born	Mbalmayo, Cameroon
Origin	Yaoundé, Cameroon
Genres	Bikutsi
Knight of Order of Valour

Early life

Ngono was born in Mbalmayo, Cameroon.^[2] Following the death of her mother in 1999, she moved to Yaoundé, where she joined Chapelle d’Essos, the local choir.^[3] Ngono performed in cabarets at Camp Sonel^[4] and La Cascade.^[5]

Career

In 2007, Ngono released her first album, Le ventre et le bas-ventre, which consisted of six songs.^[6] The album led to her winning the Canal 2'Or's Best Voice and Musical Revelation awards for that year.^[7] Ngono followed up the success of her first album with three albums produced by Jean Pierre Saah:^[8] Confession in 2009, La loi du talion in 2011, and Bombe atomique in 2012, containing ten, twelve, and twelve tracks respectively.^[9][10][11] In 2015, she released Bain de sons, consisting of eighteen songs.^[12] In 2017, she released "Patrimonie", an album regarding her early life, consisting of twelve tracks and produced by KMG Productions.^[13]

In July 2016, Ngono performed at the Viking Center in Maryland, US.^[14] In April 2017, she sang at SEG Geneva Arena for the Afrikan Zik Festival,^[15] and later at La Cigale, on 21 January 2017.^[16] In July 2018, Ngono headlined Afrofest at Toronto's Woodbine Beach.^[17]

In December 2018, Ngono went on a one-month national tour, visiting Yaoundé, Douala, Bafoussam, Ngaoundéré and Ebolowa.^[18][19]

Personal life

In 2011, it was rumoured that Ngono died after a fatal childbirth in Paris – however this was quickly debunked by her relatives.^[20] In February 2019, rumours surfaced that she had died in a car accident.^[21]

In 2011, Ngono criticized then-Cameroonian Minister of Culture, Ama Tutu Muna, for not doing enough to help artists – citing slow copyright request responses and limited financial support.^[22] In 2015, she donated equipment and supplies to FoundationFact, an orphanage in Yaoundé.^[23]

On 21 November 2018, Ngono married Aloys Tsafack, a Cameroonian manager and producer known as Dieu Cyclone,^[24][25] at a reception near Les Clayes-sous-Bois city hall.^[26] To maintain secrecy and avoid paparazzi, Ngono advertised the wedding was to be at 3:30 pm, then held it at 9:00 am.^[27]

Ngono is a mother of three children.^{[28] [29]} Cameroonian media colloquially refers to Ngono as "La Reine de Bikutsi", which translates to "The Queen of Bikutsi".^[1]

Discography

Lady Ponce discography
Lady Ponce dancing at a concert
Studio albums	6[30]
Singles	6[30]

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

Year	Song	Category	Result	Reference
Canal 2'Or [fr]
2007	–	Best Voice	Won	[31]
	–	Musical Revelation of the Year	Won
2008	Treason	Song of the Year	Won	[32][33]
	–	Best Female Artist of the Year	Won
2013	Pipiyou	Best Music Video	Nominated	[34]
	Secouer Secouer	Song of the Year	Nominated
	–	Best Female Artist of the Year	Nominated
2017	O bale ma	Best Music Video	Nominated	[35]
	–	Best Female Artist of Year	Nominated
2019	–	Best Folk Artist of the Year	TBA	[36]
	–	Best Female Artist of the Year	TBA
Radio Tiéméni Siantou (RTS) Awards
2007	–	Performance of the Year	Won	[37]
	–	Bikutsi Artist of the Year	Won
2008	–	Artist of the Year	Won
Festival Bikutsi
2008	–	Bikutsi Artist of the Year	Won	[37]
Kora Awards
2012	–	Best Female Artist – Central Africa	Won	[38]
	Hommage à Jésus	Best Female Artist – Religious Music	Nominated	[39]

On 20 May 2014, Ngono was awarded with the Order of Valour by president Paul Biya.^[40][41]