Jimmy Cliff
The Jamaican ska and reggae singer started writing songs in primary school and recorded his first international hit, Hurricane Hattie, at the age of 14. He is the only living musician to have received the Order of Merit, in 2003, which is the highest honour granted by the Jamaican government for an arts and science achievement.
Known for tracks including Sitting in Limbo and You Can Get It If You Really Want, Cliff has contributed to the worldwide recognition of reggae. He will head the line-up on the Corniche North Stage tomorrow night.
Khaira Arby
The Malian singer, whose songs tackle social issues and translate her advocacy for women, has been performing in her hometown, Timbuktu, for two decades. She combines traditional songs from her Sahara region in four indigenous languages: Arabic; Bambara, Mali's local language; Tamashek, a Tuareg language; and Sonrhai, the mother tongue of her region. Blending the electric guitar and the banjo with drums, calabash and percussions, Arby falls in the afro-beat/blues category with top tracks including Khaira, Goumou and Djaba from her album Timbuktu Tarab. She will perform on the Corniche North Stage tonight.
Orchestre National de Barbès
With one foot in Paris and the other in the Maghreb, the ONB are a group of 12 musicians founded by bassist Youcef Boukella in 1995. By combining rai music with a variety of other genres; including salsa, reggae, Berber and Arabic religious rhythms, the ONB celebrate Algerian music in the French language. Their best known album is called Alik, meaning "watch out" for rai enthusiasts.
The ensemble, whose members are of French, Algerian, Moroccan, Tunisian and Portuguese nationalities, first perform on the Corniche South Stage tonight.