Danish pop combo «The Asteroids Galaxy Tour» are also heavy-hitting proponents of cheer. The sextet led by sassy singer Mette Lindberg and the clever keyboarder/bassist Lars Iversen fearlessly combine the funk of «Sly and the Family Stone» with the soul of Stevie Wonder to create a powerful mix before adding electronic music and a shot of Abba-style pop. The result is two wacky video clips, two dance albums and a brand new third album: «Bring Us Together». Anything goes and it all makes you dance. How did it happen? Mette and Lars are simply bursting with ideas and they have no problem letting their ideas take shape. «Magic happens», Mette once said in an interview, «but only if you are completely open to new things». Her superbly unconventional music proves her right, as well as the international success of the band with the quirky name.

Englishman Bryan Ferry can be described with two important words: style icon. With Roxy Music, and ever since their first album was released four decades ago, Bryan Ferry has been the epitome of style in music and personal appearance. He sees a suit as the only article of clothing for a man that can be taken seriously. His music has always been substantial pop music for discerning listeners who consistently remain composed and gallant. It is logical that he reinvented himself once again as a man of substance on his new album. In The Jazz Age he rediscovers the classics of Roxy Music with an orchestra in the style of the 1920s.

Christopher von Deylen alias Schiller is literally a man of the world: When he condenses his extended excursions from all the corners of the globe into music, he opens up a sound journey to the listener’s own inner worlds. It is remarkable how masterfully he walks the line between chill-out and dancefloor music. «My music is not an interpretation of the world», he says, «but rather the world inspires me to make my music». It’s no wonder that music greats Mike Oldfield and Moya Brennan enjoy being his guest – especially on a stage where Schiller accentuates his sounds with spectacular light shows. More recently, he performed with the Symphonic Pop Orchestra using new, classical arrangements of his hits like «Sonne» and «Das Glockenspiel». His performance in July 2014 at the Berlin Classic Open Air was a smash success. What might the sound stylist from Germany come up with next?

Beth Hart, born in 1972 in Los Angeles, does not cut corners in her music, one reason may be because she has struggled with a bipolar condition since childhood. As a teenager, she quit school in order to study piano and cello. With her 1999 debut Screamin’ For My Supper, her career start was impressive with raw, straight-shooting blues-rock. Ever since, Beth has worked her erratic life and personal losses into powerful songs. Between albums, she played the role of Janis Joplin in the successful musical Love, Janis and joined Jeff Beck to pay tribute to blues hero Buddy Guy. Her album Bang Bang Boom Boom has finally given her solid ground under her feet. In high spirits, the blues woman expands her music to include a pinch of jazz and soul and takes the stage with more confidence than ever before. If there is a woman who understands the blues in ist deepest depths, that is Beth Hart. Goosebumps are guaranteed.

Wyclef Jean would probably have made a good president of Haiti. In the end, however, one can be grateful that Wyclef, who lives in Chicago, did not fulfil his homeland’s nomination requirements in 2010. Instead, the multi-faceted musician remains an example of an artist with a great commitment to society. In the meantime, his collaborations with major and minor starts number into the hundreds, the last being the FIFA World Cup theme song ‘We Will Find A Way’, recorded with Santana for techno DJ Avicii’s new album. In addition, since the legendary Fugees split, Wyclef Jean has continued to release solo albums that oscillate between rap and reggae in a dreamily magical way. Not forgotten are his diverse performances in films and on television as well as his dedication to the charitable organisation Yéle Haiti. He even wrote a book about his eventful life, but he is at his best in the place where he can sing his songs: on stage. There he is the president of urban sound.