Jazz, soul & blues
RAYE, whose real name is Rachel Keen (born 1997 in London), is one of the great voices of British soul and pop. After years writing hits for others, she broke through on her own with “My 21st Century Blues”. In Montreux she found a second home: she came back several summers, recorded a live album there, and opened the festival’s 60th edition, in 2026.
RAYE in Montreux: almost a family affair
A concert in front of her Swiss grandfather
On 18 July 2024, RAYE set the Lake Stage of the Montreux Jazz Festival alight: a concert full of spontaneity, improvisation and confidences. That evening had a special flavour, for she was singing for the first time in front of her Swiss grandfather, originally from Appenzell.
The festival drew a record from it, “Live at Montreux Jazz Festival”, released in September 2024 — her second live album, after the one from the Royal Albert Hall. Seven tracks, including “Escapism”, “Genesis” and an intense rendition of “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”, which James Brown had sung at the festival in 1981. On the cover, a portrait by festival photographer Anoush Abrar, taken just after the concert: RAYE is embracing her grandfather. “Playing Montreux Jazz Festival was one of the greatest musical honours I have ever been granted,” she said.
Opening the festival’s 60th anniversary
On 3 July 2026, it fell to her to open the 60th edition, at the Auditorium Stravinski, with a show titled “This Stage May Contain Moments In Time”. There she shared the stage with Alicia Keys, in one of the anniversary’s highlights.
