Program
Friday
31 August

These acts have been confirmed. The timetable will be published soon.

Sting & Shaggy

Sting has been a household name in music for decades, receiving 16 Grammy Awards and having sold close to 100 million albums from his combined work with The Police and as a solo artist. Jamaican artist Shaggy has been a major force in boosting the worldwide popularity of reggae and dancehall music, with hits such as Oh Carolina, Mr. Boombastic, It Wasn’t Me, and Angel. While they may seem to be an unlikely pair, Sting and Shaggy are actually a perfect musical match. An initial plan for Sting to contribute to a Shaggy song turned into Don’t Make Me Wait, their first single together. Compelled by their creative synergy, Sting and Shaggy decided to keep working together, resulting in their new collaborative, island-inspired album 44/876. This summer, Shaggy & Sting will embark on a European tour performing at various historical venues.

 

Jason Derulo

Even before singer, songwriter and dancer Jason Derulo climbed the charts himself, he helped others do so by writing their hit songs. After creating songs for well-known artists such as Lil Wayne, Pitbull, Diddy, and Sean Kingston, Derulo made his breakthrough with his debut single Whatcha Say, which made it to number 1 in the US. Since then, the singer has sold over 50 million singles which have gone over 27-times platinum, as well as exceeding a billion views on YouTube as well as streams on Spotify. He collaborated with varied artists ranging from rapper The Game and country duo Florida Georgia Line to DJ Hardwell and even Stevie Wonder. His fifth studio album 777 is due for release this year, apparently in three parts of seven songs each. The first single, Swalla, was released last year; on it, Derulo worked together with Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign

Sean Paul

Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques, better known under just his first two names, was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally he was well on his way to becoming a successful swimmer, just like several of his family members. Paul himself played for the national waterpolo team from the age of 13 to 21, when he decided to focus on his music career. With success: after his first hit Gimme The Light he made his big breakthrough in 2003 with Get Busy. Later on he also stormed the charts with songs such as We Be Burnin’ and Temperature. He collaborated with a variety of artists ranging from Beyoncé (Baby Boy) and Enrique Iglesias (Bailando) to Sia (Cheap Thrills), among many others. These days, Sean Paul is one of the greatest dancehall artists of our time. His last album Full Frequency was released in 2014; the wait is on for his long-awaited seventh studio album! 

Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley

Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley is the youngest son of Bob Marley; he was only two years old when his famous father died. Although he did inherit his parents’ musical genes; his mother, Cindy Breakspeare, is a Jamaican jazz musician as well as a former model and Miss World 1976. Damian is nicknamed ‘Jr. Gong’, in honor of his father Bob aka ‘Tuff Gong’. Damian started playing music at a young age and formed his first band at age 13. Describing his music as dancehall and reggae, he released his debut album Mr. Marley in 1996. In 2011 he was part of supergroup SuperHeavy, collaborating with other members Mick Jagger, Dave Stewart, and Joss Stone. Marley released his 4th studio album, titled Stony Hill, in July 2017. For the album he won his third consecutive Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album.

Patti LaBelle

Patti LaBelle, known as ‘The Godmother of Soul’, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide in a career that has spanned fifty years. LaBelle began her career in the early 1960s as the lead singer of the vocal group Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. Following the group's name change to Labelle in the early 1970s, they released the iconic disco song Lady Marmalade which became a worldwide hit. After the group split in 1976, LaBelle began a successful solo career, starting with her critically acclaimed self-titled debut album, which included the career-defining song, You Are My Friend. Last year, she released her first jazz album, Bel Hommage.

Kamasi Washington

Saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and producer Kamasi Washington grew up in Los Angeles as the son of musical parents. He started playing music from a young age, enrolled in several musical studies and while still in high school he and bassist Thundercat formed a quartet, The Young Jazz Giants, whose members still play in his band today. He made a dream debut triple-album in 2015 with The Epic, which was incredibly well-received by critics. He also made a significant contribution to Kendrick Lamar’s highly successful album To Pimp A Butterfly. Washington enjoys collaborating with other musicians: together with bassist Miles Mosley, among others, he is part of the West Coast Get Down, an L.A.-based influencial collective of jazz musicians.

Spyro Gyra

American jazz fusion band Spyro Gyra was formed in 1974 in Buffalo, New York; of the five founding members, saxophonist Jay Beckenstein and keyboardist Tom Schuman remain. The band made its breakthrough with their second album, 1979’s platinum-selling Morning Dance. It contains two of their best-known songs; the title track and Song For Lorraine. To date, Spyro Gyra have released over 30 albums and sold over 10 million copies, combining R&B and elements of pop and Caribbean music with jazz. Billboard named them the most successful jazz artist of the 1980s. Through the years, the lineup has fluctuated but Beckenstein and Schuman remained at its core, keeping the group's signature sound intact. The current lineup also features bassist Scott Ambush, guitarist Julio Fernandez, and Lionel Cordew on drums.