British singer-songwriter RAYE delivered a career-defining performance as she opened the 60th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival with a spectacular, one-night-only show featuring surprise appearances from Alicia Keys and Mark Ronson.
Titled This Stage May Contain Moments in Time, the opening night, co-created with Audemars Piguet, transformed the Auditorium Stravinski into a living celebration of six decades of musical history. RAYE paid tribute to legendary artists including Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Prince and Ray Charles. Combining breathtaking vocals, deeply personal storytelling and unforgettable collaborations, the opening night set a dazzling tone for the landmark anniversary of one of the world’s most iconic music festivals.
Surrounded by the audience, RAYE and her band performed on a specially designed rotating octagonal stage. Above them, large suspended fabric drapes were brought to life by videos and photographs from the Festival’s archives, as well as images inspired by her artistic world.
One of my favorite artists of all time, Ella Fitzgerald, was on this stage. So many greats were on this stage. I think this is why it’s so overwhelming and slightly intimidating– in a healthy way – playing this festival.” RAYE
The first surprise arrived barely twenty minutes into the show, immediately setting the tone for an evening full of unforgettable moments As she launched into an irresistible rendition of ‘Uptown Funk’, RAYE invited the song’s writer, Mark Ronson, to join her on guitar. He then swapped his guitar for a bass to perform ‘Suzanne’, a track composed by the two artists last year. The appearance added another memorable chapter to Mark Ronson’s long-standing relationship with the Montreux Jazz Festival, following a duet with Adele in 2008, an unforgettable disco-funk night with Nile Rodgers in 2012, and a special Audemars Piguet collaboration in 2023.
When Raye uttered the words “Alicia…Keys”, a roar the likes of which is rarely heard at the Stravinski Auditorium swept through the crowd. It was an intense moment of surprise and euphoria, already etched into the Festival’s history. On piano and vocals, Alicia Keys first performed the timeless ‘If I Ain’t Got You’ alongside RAYE, who was just as moved and elated as the audience. The two icons then sat on the floor of the revolving stage to perform a second song together, this time from RAYE’s repertoire: the sublime ‘Oscar Winning Tears’.
For this unique performance, RAYE had put together an original setlist, creating a dialogue between her own repertoire and the artists who have shaped the history of the Montreux Jazz Festival. The show opened with ‘Who Knows Where The Time Goes’, a tribute to her heroine Nina Simone. Raye then shared an anecdote with the audience, a true twist of history: Nina Simone had given her most iconic concert in Montreux exactly fifty years to the day, on 3 July 1976.
RAYE prefaced each of her covers with a passionate speech, recalling the year these legends performed at Montreux and just how much they had inspired her. Among these tribute songs were: ‘Summertime’ (Ella Fitzge- rald…), ‘Georgia On My Mind’ (Ray Charles), ‘Purple Rain’ (Prince), and Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together’, with whom RAYE collaborated on her second album. The show ended on a high note with the song ‘Joy’, sung alongside her two sisters, Absolutely and Amma, followed by the hit ‘Where is My Husband’.
RAYE was performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival for the third year running. Following her Festival debut in 2024, RAYE immediately decided to immortalise the concert by releasing her own Live at Montreux album. It was an especially emotional evening, as it marked the first time she had ever performed in front of her Swiss grand- father, who appears alongside her on the album’s vinyl cover. The photograph was taken backstage shortly after the concert. She returned in 2025 for another acclaimed performance on the Festival’s Lake Stage, premiering songs from her second album before rounding off the night with an unforgettable late-night jam session that once again revealed her deep love of jazz.
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.” RAYE
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