Friday 4 September
These acts have been confirmed. The timetable will be announced later.
Rubén Blades Fotografías Tour with Roberto Delgado Big Band
Rubén Blades is a man of many talents. As an actor, he has worked with the likes of Robert de Niro and Jack Nicholson, and at home in Panama, he has been a lawyer, a political activist and has even run for president. But above all else, Blades is a composer and vocalist, and one of the world’s most successful Latin artists. His socially engaged lyrics are a characteristic feature of his music. His ‘thinking man’s’ salsa, sometimes combined with jazz and rock, has won him many Grammy Awards and Latin Grammys. For his latest album Fotografías (2025), he collaborated with the Roberto Delgado Big Band, and not for the first time: Blades and Delgado have worked together for decades. The songs on their latest effort have one common trait among them: they will make it impossible to stand still. After all, people don’t call Blades ‘the poet of salsa’ for nothing!
Toto
Formed in 1977, American band Toto will be able to celebrate being around for half a century next year! They need little introduction: with their music combining elements of pop, rock, soul, blues, jazz and many more styles, they have built a fan base all around the world. The band has released 14 studio albums, sold over 50 million records worldwide, received several Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. Their hit singles are numerous, including Africa, Hold The Line, Rosanna, and many more. Individually and collectively the bandmembers have worked with a variety of artists, including as session musicians, across all genres. Now led by guitarist Steve Lukather and lead vocalist Joseph Williams, the band features a collection of virtuoso musicians, but perhaps more importantly, lifelong friends. Fun fact: their audience ages down continually – more than half of their billion annual streams are plays from listeners 34 years or younger!
Jeon
Rapper Jeon was born and raised on Aruba and has since become one of the island's biggest musical exports. But he is also important to Curaçao: his hit Bluewave, sung in Papiamento, became the anthem for Curaçao’s historic qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Jeon gained worldwide fame with the hit Machika, a collaboration with J Balvin and Anitta. Additionally, he co-produced and co-wrote X (Equis) by Nicky Jam and J Balvin; both tracks have garnered many millions of streams and views on YouTube. Born Jonathan Thiel, Jeon comes from a musical family and began piano lessons at the age of eight, after which he mastered many more instruments. Ten years ago, his hit Dushi Bida was named Song of the Year by Aruban radio stations, and Jeon himself was named Artist of the Year multiple times. He continues to score hits with his unique style, combining Caribbean sounds with Latin, pop, and global rhythms.
Monty Alexander Jamericana
Jazz pianist Monty Alexander was born in Kingston, Jamaica, but has been living in the US for many decades. He discovered the piano when he was four years old. He was sent to classical music lessons and later became interested in jazz piano. Since then, he has built a career in which he was nominated for a Grammy Award and his work has been documented on more than 75 recordings. The born performer’s repertoire spans a broad range of jazz and Jamaican musical expressions: the American songbook and the blues, gospel and bebop, calypso and reggae. His home country was never forgotten; the Jamaican government has bestowed him with several honorary titles for his Contributions to the Promotions of Jamaican Music and the Jazz Genre Interpretations Globally”. Alexander has toured the world relentlessly with various projects, and will bring his Jamericana trio to the festival.
PJ Morton
PJ Morton was brought up on the music of worship in New Orleans. His father is a gospel singer, and bishop and founder of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship. His mother is pastor of Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church. Paul Sylvester Morton Jr.’s first album on a major label, the 2013 release New Orleans, scored an instant Grammy nomination for the single Only One. On it, we hear none other than Stevie Wonder. Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine also features as a guest on the album; not surprising, since Morton has served as keyboardist and backing vocalist for the popular pop-rock band since 2010. Morton effortlessly combines running his record label and his work as a producer with a great solo career. His haunting live album Watch The Sun Live: The Mansion Sessions (2023) shows that a Morton performance is sometimes akin to a soul-stirring church service.
Sean Paul
Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques, better known by just his first two names, was born in Kingston, Jamaica. His first successes were not in entertainment, but in swimming: he played in the national water polo team until he was 21. After that he chose music. After his first hit Gimme The Light, he really broke through in 2003 with Get Busy and kept the hits coming with songs like We Be Burnin’ and Temperature. Collaborations with various artists followed; he scored hits with Beyoncé (Baby Boy), Enrique Iglesias (Bailando), Sia (Cheap Thrills) and many others. Sean Paul is now one of the biggest dancehall artists of our time and even received a nomination for Crossover Artist of the Year at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards. His latest studio album, Scorcha, was released in 2022 and nominated for a Grammy Awards, as were most of his previous albums.
The Jacksons
They are by far the most famous musical family in history and are still going after more than six decades: The Jacksons. Starting in 1964 as The Jackson 5, they were led by Michael, the youngest of the bunch. Under the leadership of their father Joe, the group broke through with hits like I Want You Back, ABC, and I’ll Be There, remained at the top of the charts continuously for years, and was one of the most important acts on the legendary record label Motown. They unleashed a genuine Jacksonmania, and an animated series was even made about them. Because the group was loved by both Black and white audiences, the Jackson brothers broke racial barriers. Jackie and Marlon were two of the original members and now carry the group. This year they went on tour again and brought the world a greatest hits show full of classics from their extensive oeuvre. With disco classics, R&B grooves, infectious soul, and great funk, they still get every audience dancing.
