IN PHOTOS
88rising ushers in an all-star lineup of Asian artists to Day 1 of ‘Head in the Clouds’
Both established and upcoming musicians graced the main 88rising stage at the two-day event held at Brookside at the Rose Bowl.
Photos by MARISSA DING
Words by MS. DACITY & MARISSA DING
1 / 12
Warren Hue kicked off the festival as the first performance on the main stage, and the Forbes 30-under-30 designee made an ideal choice for this opening spot. The US-based Indonesian hip hop artist’s setlist included the title track of his first solo LP, “Boy Of The Year,” a cross-genre debut that was named as “one of the year’s most accomplished debuts” by _NME_ in 2022.
2 / 12
In a long-awaited comeback, MaSiWei takes to the stage for the first time since 2019. A member of Chinese rap group Higher Brothers — which performed at the inaugural “Head in the Clouds” festival — his return to the West Coast was adorned with singles from his most recent EP, “Champion Love Songs,” as well as top hits from his 2020 release, “Prince Charming.”
3 / 12
A fan holds up a hand-made sign in anticipation of MaSiWei’s performance. Signs continued to appear in the crowd as festival-goers flaunted the art they had made during their favorite artists’ performances.
4 / 12
In a set that went viral for MILLI’s brief intermission to grab a gift from a fan — only to find that it was a photocard of Stray Kids member Han, her self-proclaimed “bias” — the artist performed seven songs. One of these was an unreleased collaboration with festival opener Warren Hue, a Doja Cat-esque pop hit: “Haven’t felt like this in a long time / Wow wow, wow wow.”
5 / 12
After flying from Montreal’s “Osheaga” festival into Los Angeles on the second day of her three-day festival run, Rina Sawayama played a longer set with 10 of her biggest hits from her albums “SAWAYAMA” and “Hold The Girl,” along with various collaborative projects with the likes of Charli XCX (“Crash”) and BloodPop (“LUCID”). With six costume changes over a 45-minute set, Sawayama’s performance was transformative for all parties involved.
6 / 12
DPR LIVE, recently known for his contributions to “Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings: The Album,” began his set with “LEGACY”, the first single from his debut album “IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?”. In 2014, the South Korean rapper and singer co-founded “Dream Perfect Regime,” a group of creatives focused on producing multimedia music experiences.
7 / 12
As one of the other co-founders of DPR and Spotify’s 10th most streamed K-pop Male Solo Artist Globally in 2022, DPR IAN’s performance was highly anticipated. A highlight of his set came in the form of “So Beautiful,” and the Korean Australian’s visual iconography was present throughout the performance — an inadvertent nod to his role directing DPR’s music videos.
8 / 12
Bestowed the title of “Special Guest” on all the visual marketing of this year’s “Head in the Clouds” festival, Zedd’s performance was the only DJ set to take place on the main 88rising stage — and yet — was more than comparable to his musical peers. Checking off nearly every hit single to have ever been credited with his name, the master remixer turned the festival into a rave for the too-short 45 minutes he was allotted.
9 / 12
As 88rising's label darling, Rich Brian has collaborated with the industry's greatest — including Ghostface Killah, XXXTENTACION, 21 Savage and Trippie Redd — and as one of the main headliners of the night, the crowd welcomed him with unending roars of applause.
10 / 12
With multiple RIAA-certificated songs in his discography, Rich Brian's career has been nothing short of impressive. It seemed as if every single audience member knew the words to his eleven-song setlist.
11 / 12
As the last act of the night, Jackson Wang’s theatrical performance was much too short for the Wang-crazed audience, clocking in at about 35 minutes. Meant to serve as a teaser for his upcoming “Magic Man World Tour,” Wang’s 10-song set was a choreographed, aesthetically stunning operation.
12 / 12
