The 60th Montreux Jazz Festival got off to a spectacular start with an unforgettable opening performance from RAYE, who surprised audiences with guest appearances from music icons Alicia Keys and Mark Ronson during a one-night-only show created exclusively for the festival.
Making her third consecutive appearance at Montreux, the British superstar performed ‘This Stage May Contain Moments in Time’, a specially commissioned production co-created with Audemars Piguet that celebrated six decades of the festival’s rich musical history. In one of the evening’s standout moments, RAYE and Alicia Keys performed together live for the very first time, before closing their duet with a moving rendition of RAYE‘s “Oscar Winning Tears”.
The Auditorium Stravinski was transformed into a spectacular immersive performance space unlike anything previously seen at the festival. Surrounded by the audience, RAYE and her band performed on a bespoke rotating stage beneath vast suspended fabric sails brought to life with striking video projections.
The evening’s first surprise came just 20 minutes into the show as RAYE launched into “Uptown Funk” before welcoming the song’s co-writer and close friend Mark Ronson to the stage. The pair followed it with their collaboration “Suzanne”, delighting the sold-out audience. Ronson’s appearance added another memorable chapter to his long-standing relationship with Montreux, following performances with Adele in 2008, Nile Rodgers in 2012 and his Audemars Piguet collaboration in 2022.
Designed as a celebration of Montreux’s musical legacy, the set seamlessly blended RAYE’s own songs with tributes to some of the legendary artists who have defined the festival over the past six decades. The evening opened with “Who Knows Where the Time Goes”, paying homage to Nina Simone, who gave a legendary performance at Montreux on July 3 1976, exactly 50 years earlier than RAYE’s show to the day. The tributes continued with interpretations of “Summertime”, associated with Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald, “Georgia On My Mind”, “Let’s Stay Together” and a James Brown medley.
Several of RAYE’s own songs were also reimagined with references to artists who helped shape Montreux’s extraordinary history. “Skin and Bones” concluded with a nod to Aretha Franklin‘s “Rock Steady”, while “Nightingale Lane” flowed seamlessly into Prince‘s “Purple Rain” – a fitting tribute to one of the festival’s most iconic performers. RAYE also welcomed her sisters, Absolutely and Amma, to perform “Joy” before bringing the evening to a triumphant close with “Where Is My Husband!”.
Montreux has become a special home for RAYE. Following her festival debut in 2024 – when she performed in front of her Swiss grandfather for the first time – she released Live at Montreux, capturing that landmark performance. She returned in 2025 to headline the Lake Stage, where she premiered songs from what was then her forthcoming second album before ending the night with an impromptu jam session that reflected her deep love of jazz.
Speaking of that moment with her grandfather watching her performance, RAYE said: “Let me tell you, my first ever Montreux Jazz Festival was a moment in time no money can’t buy. My Swiss Grandad got to watch me perform live for the first time, at one of the greatest – if not the greatest – festival in the world.”
For six decades, Montreux Jazz Festival has been renowned for capturing live performances of exceptional quality. That tradition continues this year, with a wide selection of concerts broadcast live and free on the festival’s YouTube channel and via connected TVs, produced by Montreux Media Ventures.
This year’s livestream programme includes performances from Moby, Vulfpeck, Sienna Spiro, Charlotte Cardin, John Legend, Marcus Miller, Van Morrison, James Taylor, Agnes Obel, Dabeull, Naïka, Liniker, Aldous Harding, Noga Erez, Joy Crookes, Maro and many more.
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