Kaleo is an Icelandic blues/rock band. Their last album A/B has sold over 175,000 albums worldwide. One of the singles from A/B, „Way Down We Go“, has been sold over 500,000 times in the US and reached #1 on the Billboard Alternative Chart in 2016. The group has made multiple appearances on late night television shows including Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Late Night with Seth Meyers. Their songs have been heard on many other television shows including Orange is the New Black, Blindspot, Suits, Vinyl, Grey‘s Anatomy, Empire, The Leftovers, Frequency, Supergirl, The Vampire Diaries, and Frontier. Kaleo‘s music is influenced by folk and blues. Their blues influences are mainly drawn from delta blues, which was the target for some of the heavier songs in their album A/B. Their music prominently features a distinctive resonator sound.

«Disco» has shaped the career of Dabu Fantastic, who came to prominence on the back of albums like «Agglo Disco», «Discochugle» and «Disco Titanic». Stylistically, the band from the Zurich Oberland is also extremely versatile. Their catchy hit «Angelina» demonstrates just one nuance of their broad musical range.

Madness are one of the most successful British pop groups of all time. They have had 15 singles in the UK top ten, including One Step Beyond, My Girl, and Baggy Trousers, and one UK number one single, House of Fun. Their eleventh studio album Can’t Touch Us Now was released last autumn to critical acclaim. Hailing from Kentish Town in London, they became a hit band of the late 1970s and early 1980s 2-Tone ska revival. They continue to perform with their most recognised line-up of seven members, fronted by Graham “Suggs” McPherson.

Filippo Neviani known by his stage name Nek, is an Italian singer-songwriter and musician. Nek is popular in Italy and throughout the Spanish-speaking world, and has performed and released most of his albums in both Italian and Spanish. During his career he has released thirteen studio albums and forty-eight singles, which include hits „Sei solo tu“, „Almeno stavolta“, „Lascia che io sia“, „Instabile“, „La voglia che non vorrei“ and his major hit “Laura non c‘è” . Nek has sold over 10 million records.

Nelly Furtado is a Portuguese-Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 40 million records worldwide, making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. Furtado has won several awards throughout her career including Grammy Award, Latin Grammy Award, Brit Award, MTV Europe Music Award amongst others. She released her sixth studio album “The Ride” in March 2017.

«Mein Wohnzimmer ist dein Wohnzimmer» («My living room is your living room»). This is the motto that brought Tim Bendzko such huge successes this year in Germany. The concept is based on concerts given in a small, intimate setting: a tradition the BALOISE SESSION has been following for years. That’s why Tim Bendzko is such a perfect fit this year in Basel, with his expressive German pop.

Max Giesinger is a German singer-songwriter. He came in popularity with his single “80 Millionen”, earning him a second position in the German Charts. His music is noted to be a culmination of Pop and rock pop.

Reykjavik-born Ásgeir has two albums under his belt, and the 25-year-old singer’s new album «Afterglow» is a mesmerising mix of other-worldly folk-pop and expressive vocals coloured with idiosyncratic, quirky timbres. Typically Icelandic!

Clean Bandit are a British electronic music group formed in Cambridge in 2008. The band consists of Grace Chatto, and brothers Jack and Luke Patterson. In 2015, „Rather Be“ , their first UK chart topping, won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording. The band mixes electronic music with classical pieces by composers such as Mozart and Shostakovich. Some of their music also involves tongue-in-cheek humour.