Last night, Raye kicked off the Montreux Jazz Festival with style and a pair of very special surprise guests. During her July 3rd performance which kicked off the 2026 installment of the festival, Raye brought Alicia Keys and Mark Ronson both as surprise guests to join her in a handful of songs, as reported by NME. Videos of the performances can be found online.

Raye and Mark Ronson performing at Montreux Jazz Festival tonight! pic.twitter.com/jORyjDQzvN

— RAYE Updates (@RayeUpdate) July 3, 2026

Marking Raye’s third consecutive appearance at the festival, the special performance already featured a completely redone stage configuration of the Auditorium Stravinski. After opening with Nina Simone’s “Who Knows Where The Time Goes,” Raye followed up with Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” before welcoming on Ronson, co-writer of the hit track, to join her for a performance of their collaborative track “Suzanne.”

Raye and Alicia Keys performing “Oscar Winning Tears.” at Montreux Jazz Festival tonight. pic.twitter.com/T54a7TUHON

— RAYE Updates (@RayeUpdate) July 3, 2026

A later surprise came with the appearance of Alicia Keys, which marked the first time she and Raye have performed live together. Together they performed Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You” and Raye’s “Oscar Winning Tears.” Montreux has been significant to Raye, especially since her festival debut there in 2024 which lead to her album Live at Montreux. Her performance opened the festival, which is set to hold many more performances from now until the 18th, with names headlining such as Aldous Harding and The Isley Brothers.