MJF Spotlight Sessions return to Villars

Discover the stars of tomorrow

Following the success of last year’s inaugural edition, the Montreux Jazz Festival’s winter residency returns to the resort of Villars-sur-Ollon. Six emerging artists have been selected to perform as part of the MJF Spotlight Sessions. The concerts will take place at the Théâtre du Villars Palace on the weekends of February 9-10, February 16-17 and March 1-2, 2024. DJ sets will open and close each evening in the hotel bar. Ticketing opens on January 17, at 11 a.m.

Last winter, the Montreux Jazz Festival brought its MJF Spotlight project to Villars, following sessions to London, Hamburg and Zurich. The event quickly found its audience, curious to discover new artists and enjoy a quality musical experience in the resort. The Festival renews the experience in the Théâtre du Villars Palace, with a program as fresh and eclectic as ever, featuring pop, rap, soul and instrumental music.

The Festival’s programming team has selected six of today’s most promising international artists: Tony Ann (09.02), a Canadian pianist with melancholy melodies; Marguerite Thiam (10.02), a French singer with tormented lyrics and lo-fi productions; Yamê (16.02), a French-Cameroonian singer, rapper and pianist whose genre-bending style has created a buzz in the whole world, María José Llergo (17.02), a Spanish singer who draws on the flamenco tradition, Holly Macve (01.03), a folk singer who has collaborated with Lana Del Rey, and Victor Ray (02.03), a powerful soul voice who first resonated on the streets of London before racking up millions of streams.

The MJF Spotlight Sessions will take place at the Théâtre du Villars Palace on the weekends of February 9-10, February 16-17 and March 1-2. The evenings kick off in the Bar of the Palace with après-ski DJ sets from 5pm, and continue after the concerts until midnight.

ABOUT MJF SPOTLIGHT

The MJF Spotlight project was launched during the pandemic in 2021 to support and promote young artists through digital content. Since then, the concept has evolved with the creation of special events, during the Montreux Jazz Festival and throughout the year. The digital dimension remains at the heart of the project, notably with the broadcasting of live video sessions. These are produced by the teams of Montreux Media Ventures, a subsidiary of the Festival responsible for diversifying the Festival’s activities by producing content and musical experiences throughout the year.

MJF Spotlight has already enabled the Festival to highlight numerous emerging artists, such as the British Sam Ryder, the Argentine Nathy Peluso, the Belgian Pierre de Maere, the French November Ultra and the Swiss Priya Ragu and Kings Elliott.

MJF Spotlight is supported by its partners Julius Baer, Swisscom and the Villars Institute.