Originating from Manchester, England, GoGo Penguin is a jazz piano trio who have skilfully blended together rock, post-bop jazz, and minimalist classical influences with electronic production elements. After v2.0, their second full-length album in 2014, was nominated for the Mercury Prize, they signed with Blue Note and released their label debut, Man Made Object, which saw great success, peaking at number ten on the jazz albums charts. Later releases (including A Humdrum Star from 2018 and GoGo Penguin from 2020) achieved the same level of success. Their 2021 GGP/RMX bonded the group to the electronic music world, while their last studio full-length, Everything Is Going to Be OK, was released in 2023.

English songwriter Ellie Goulding caught the public’s attention in 2010 with her singles “Starry Eyed” and “Guns and Horses”. During the final weeks of 2009, Goulding topped the BBC’s Sound of 2010, a poll conducted by British music critics and industry insiders to identify new talent. Building on that momentum, she released Lights – a sparkling debut album that splashed Goulding’s vocal flutter across a landscape of acoustic and synthesized instruments – in March 2010. Lights topped the U.K. charts during its first week and spun off “Starry Eyed” as a Top Five single (it also charted well in Ireland and New Zealand). Later that year, the album was re-released as Bright Lights, featuring seven new recordings (including a cover of Elton John’s “Your Song” which peaked at number two). As a music and fashion icon, she has been featured on magazines, such as ‘Elle’ and ‘Glamour’ among others.

The Israeli singer-songwriter Asaf Avidan has won worldwide acclaim for his special and alluring style of music. His single “Reckoning Song” had immense success in Europe and Australia in 2012, establishing him as a prominent artist. His music is a mix of folk, rock, blues, and reggae, with deep, soulful vocals. In the past fourteen years, he has issued six studio albums, and has graced the stages of renowned festivals around the world. Avidan’s musical talent has been recognized with many awards and accolades. In 2012, he was the recipient of the MTV Europe Music Awards for Best Israeli Act. In 2013, he also won four Meteor Awards, which included Best Male Artist and Best Album. An MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Cinematography was awarded to him in 2017 for “The Labyrinth Song”. Nowadays, he continues to write music that resonates with listeners across the globe.

Dave Stewart, the co-founder of Eurythmics and much-admired songwriter and musician, is highly esteemed and has achieved great success in the music industry having had a four-decade-long career and sold more than 100 million albums. Stewart and Annie Lennox, the world-renowned duo, collaborated on the production and writing of all Eurythmics albums. Stewart has also co-written and produced albums and songs with Tom Petty, Gwen Stefani, Jon Bon Jovi, Stevie Nicks, Mick Jagger, Bryan Ferry, Katy Perry, Sinead O’Connor, Joss Stone and many others. In the course of his career, he has been recognized with numerous accolades, such as 26 ASCAP Awards, BMI awards for most performed compositions, 4 IVOR NOVELLO AWARDS, 4 BRIT AWARDS for BEST PRODUCER, a LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, the SILVER CLEF AWARD, the CLIVE DAVIS LEGEND IN SONGWRITING AWARD, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy Award. At the Baloise Session, he will celebrate the 40th anniversary of “Sweet Dreams”, with the blessing of Annie Lennox.

With a powerful voice and a sound steeped in classic soul, Joss Stone broke into the mainstream as a teenager and has since experienced an extraordinary career full of unpredictable twists. This Grammy and Brit award winning artist has sold an outstanding 12 million albums globally, and first won the hearts of her devoted fans both in her homeland and abroad through her creative reinterpretations of classic soul songs. She has since broadened her fan base by expanding her musicality to explore styles far removed from her beloved vintage R&B. Joss has most recently put out two solo albums in collaboration with Dave Stewart, one of which is Never Forget My Love released at the end of 2021 The Grammy and Brit award recipient is now targeting her first holiday album, Merry Christmas, Love.

The English band UB40, established in 1978, has had a successful career, boasting over 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart and international renown. Their name is taken from unemployment benefit form with which many British kids were familiar during the 1980s. As a band from the tough streets of Birmingham, they were able to climb to the top of the music world thanks to reggae, with its relaxed rhythms and a rebellious core. During their career, they have been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album four times, and in 1984 were nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Group. UB40 have sold more than 70 million records worldwide. Their most successful songs include their first-ever hit “Food for Thought”, as well as two Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers – “Red Red Wine” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love”.