An evening that focuses on vocal precision and emotional depth. Tori Kelly is an American singer, songwriter and actress who has carved out a firm place for herself in the modern music scene thanks to her exceptional vocal control and her blend of pop, R&B, soul and gospel. She first attracted attention through self-published videos on YouTube, in which she covered well-known songs and quickly built up a growing online fanbase. She made her commercial breakthrough in 2015 with the album Unbreakable Smile, which includes, amongst others, the hit singles ‘Nobody Love’ and ‘Should’ve Been Us’. The album already showcased her stylistic versatility and her ability to combine emotional depth with catchy pop arrangements. Another important milestone was the gospel-influenced album Hiding Place, released in 2018, which earned her two Grammy Awards and underlined her strong roots in gospel music.

Amistat is Catalan for «friendship». Josef and Jan Prasil are twin brothers of Czech-Australian descent who were born in Germany and grew up in Italy. They started busking in 2014. All they needed was two acoustic guitars, their voices, songs written by themselves and places where people congregate. The brothers sing so brilliantly together that you can hardly tell where one voice ends and the other begins. Their lyrics revolve around family, loss, togetherness and the challenge of staying in touch with their circle of friends whilst on the road. Their EP «Colour in Life» was streamed more than five million times on Spotify alone in 2023. Amistat have played at the Sziget Festival, the Open Air Gampel, in clubs and on their own tours. «Everything in Between» is about those moments between setting out and arriving.

Imany was a high-jumper and a model in New York before starting to take her own voice really seriously. After returning to France, where she was born, she began writing her own songs. «The Shape of a Broken Heart» was released in 2011, and «You Will Never Know» achieved platinum status. In 2016 the remix of her song «Don’t Be So Shy» gained her worldwide recognition. On «Voodoo Cello», Imany put eight cellos centre stage and performed songs by Jacques Brel, Radiohead, Madonna and Ed Sheeran. In «Women Deserve Rage» she sings about hurt, healing, female rage and a love that is not romanticised. Paris, Martigues, New York and the Comoros, where she has her roots, all come together in this evening concert.

Picture This was formed in 2015 in Athy, a small town south-west of Dublin, Ireland. Singer Ryan Hennessy recorded «Take My Hand» in his bedroom on his iPhone and posted the video on Facebook. The video quickly became a hit and was soon being played on Irish radio. That’s how it can happen: a phone, a song, an open window to the prospects beyond. Hennessy founded a band with Jimmy Rainsford, Owen Cardiff and Cliff Deane. Their début album was released in 2017, rose to Number 1 on the Irish charts, and achieved triple platinum status. From concerts in pubs, they graduated to appearances in large concert halls and sold-out stadiums. Picture This released their fourth studio album, «Parked Car Conversations», in 2024. The title is fitting for the band. Their songs explore relationships, separation, long nights and conversations held at night in parked cars. Not a bad place, by the way, for truthtelling.

A Blues is a Blues is a Blues, twelve bars, three chords – music could hardly be simpler than that! Yet, as we know, the simplest things can often be the hardest; it’s the nuances that make all the difference to quality. No-one can teach Joe Bonamassa anything about that; he practically grew up on the blues, and his voice and guitar playing are shaped by the fathers of modern blues, the three Kings – Freddie, Albert and B.B. – and by the Brits Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. But the 49-year-old has long since found his own sound, having worked long and hard to achieve it. Because everything about Joe Bonamassa is on a massive scale: his guitar collection (reportedly over 250 instruments), the number of his releases (around 15 studio albums and just as many live albums, plus video albums, music videos, etc.) and, last but not least, the length of his career to date: His father, a guitar dealer, gave him his first child’s guitar, and at the age of twelve he stood on the stage alongside B. B. King. The rest, as they say, is history.

For singer-songwriter Brandy Clark, basketball used to be her whole life until she started writing songs. And she was so successful at it that it never occurred to her to take to the stage herself. Stars like Sheryl Crow and Reba McEntire took her songs and turned them into hits. In 2012, at the age of 37, Brandy Clark finally released her first album. It was, however, a limited success and she needed a second chance. Ten years later the breakthrough came with her self-titled album. Brandy Clark sings songs about America, about her own life and that of her contemporaries, setting them to the soundtrack of the USA: country music. With her warm voice she can tell her stories authentically, accompanied by her subtle guitar playing.

James Arthur writes about relationships, anxiety, loss of control, loneliness and life after a crisis: the stuff of life that rubs, pinches, scratches and occasionally causes pain. He won the UK version of «The X Factor» in 2012. His version of «Impossible» became a global hit. He was 24 years old and unprepared for overnight success, which led to a period of doubts and life complexity. Despite that, he never turned these difficult years into a self-pitying tale of heroism, but into good songs. In 2016 he made a second international breakthrough with «Say You Won’t Let Go». The song tells of the everyday aspects of a relationship, of growing old, of staying together and of promises that must be kept. His sixth studio album, «PISCES», came out in 2025. The songs explore memory, dreams, anxiety, love and a self-belief that doesn’t simply turn up on your doorstep one morning. Eleven years after his first concert at the Baloise Session, Arthur now returns to Basel as a headliner.

In 2010, Sam Cieri formed the Nicotine Dolls in New York: A band that blends pop, soul and rock with singer-songwriter music with the occasional touch of jazz. The band first gained recognition through social media. Cieri’s voice can sound hoarse, waver, almost crack, and then the next moment come through again with full force. His début album «An Attempt at Romantic» was released in 2025. Songs like «What Makes You Sad» reached millions through Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and streaming services. Nicotine Dolls are now anything but a fleeting internet sensation. Their concerts sell out quickly: They create music for doubts, setbacks, the trials and tribulations of love, and that moment when, despite everything, you pick yourself up again.

Max Herre and Joy Denalane work with the same excellent raw material: Soul. Herre integrated it into German rap, while Denalane gave it warmth, power and a unique language. Max Herre gained a name for himself in the 1990s with the band Freundeskreis. «Quadratur des Kreises» is one of the defining albums of German hip-hop. Herre combined rap with soul, reggae, political lyrics and a style of language that by no means can be considered a copy of US ghetto slang. His 2013 «MTV Unplugged» brought together rap, orchestra, soul, reggae and the singer-songwriter tradition. And with resounding success. Joy Denalane got to know Herre during the recording sessions for «Mit Dir». The song showcased her voice, as did her subsequent début album «Mamani». She sang in German about family, her roots, love, racism and selfassertion. The musical collaboration led to a relationship. They had two sons, separated and after a few years got back together again. On «Alles Liebe» they sing about attraction, arguments, everyday life, hurt and reconciliation. Their duets are even more credible because they steer clear of posing as a perfect couple.

Stephan Eicher was born in Münchenbuchsee, a suburb of Bern, in 1960. In the early 1980s, as part of the band Grauzone, he had a hit single with «Eisbär». The song became famous far beyond Switzerland, yet it was merely a prelude. Eicher soon turned to French songs. Philippe Djian has been writing lyrics for him since «My Place», and the collaboration culminated in 1991 with «Engelberg». «Déjeuner en paix» became a hit single in France, and the album spent five weeks at Number 1 on the Swiss charts. Yet Eicher never stuck to any one style. Chanson, folk, pop, electronic music, Alpine sounds and soft melancholy appear in his work, disappear again, and return in a different form. «Poussière d’Or», his 18th studio album, was released in 2025. On stage he changes arrangements, lets pieces grow, takes diversions, and responds to the room. He never just goes through the motions. Fortunately!