Head in the Clouds 2023
by Sylvie Lam
Interview with grentperez conducted by Sydney Ling on the Bittersweet Daze tour at Stanford’s Frost Amphitheater
88Rising hosted its fifth annual Head In The Clouds Festival over the weekend of August 5-6 in Pasadena, California. Marking half a decade of celebrating Asian American and Asian music, food, and culture for two days, this year’s festival brought together 40 artists and 30 thousand fans from around the world.
Despite the heat, attendees excitedly entered the venue adorned with beaded bracelets, pink cowboy hats, crocheted tops, light sticks, and Japanese-style parasols to keep cool.
Day 1
Warren Hue
Warren Hue kicked off the festival, demonstrating his experience in energizing the audience with his third HITC performance.
Spence Lee
Portrait of Spence Lee in the media tent
If there could only be one word to describe Spence Lee, it would be “winner.” As the afternoon sun shined above the Double Happiness Stage, Lee showed off his passion, pride, and dance moves at his second HITC LA.
Despite mainly being a rapper, in a post-performance interview, Lee introduced himself as an “artist, songwriter, producer, visual artist, designer, everything.” Lee carries his pride throughout his art in being raised in New Jersey by a Brooklyn-born Chinese father and a Vietnamese war refugee mother. His lyrics are infused with his confidence in being an Asian person that has courage, wisdom, and knowledge of self. Lee assertively defines himself in his music, because according to him, hip-hop is all about telling his truth.
The crowd’s energy empowered Lee throughout his performance, and he appreciated their enthusiasm. “[The audience] wanna see us win,” he said. “They wanna [see] everybody that’s Asian and making music and making art; they wanna see us win.”
Lee’s mentality to be a winner is what drives and guides him. “It’s in my DNA to be a winner. To be a survivor,” he expressed. “My mom survived the Vietnam War as a refugee… my dad made it out of poverty… winning is in my blood. I’m gonna win no matter what.”
With another successful HITC performance under his belt, Lee wants to tell young artists to create more and tell their stories. He believes that you don’t have to release your work to the public, but by getting it all out without any inhibition, you can learn more about yourself.
“Understand who you are as a human being first – what you stand for, what you represent, what you believe in – and that will come to the forefront of your art,” Lee said.
MILLI
MILLI’s set showcased a combination of her own songs and collaborations like “Mirror Mirror” with F.HERO and Stray Kids’ Changbin, “Mind Games” with Jackson Wang, and an unreleased song performed with Warren Hue. She also collected a Stray Kids photo card and a stack of hundred dollar bills with her face on it from fans in the crowd.
Stephanie Poetri
Stephanie Poetri was next at the Double Happiness Stage. From her latest single “Invited” to her hit song “I Love You 3000,” the Indonesian singer-songwriter swayed from side to side as she sang and played guitar.
Rina Sawayama
Rina Sawayama’s opening song, “Hold The Girl,” perfectly epitomized her dynamic performance abilities throughout her set– the combination of her choreography, projections, staging, and outfit flawlessly complemented each other to uncover a deeper meaning to the seemingly energetic song.
DPR LIVE
DPR IAN
Despite the blazing LA sun, fans excitedly waited in anticipation for DPR LIVE and DPR IAN to take the stage by barking, singing New Jeans’ “ETA,” and even chanting “Daddy.”
DPR LIVE opened his set with “LEGACY,” which started with his signature song intro “coming to you live.” Whether his fans were jumping at the barricade or dancing on the outskirts, he had one clear message for his audience: “Anyone can be a dreamer; never stop dreaming.”
After “Martini Blue,” DPR IAN took the stage. IAN started his set with “MITO” and “So Beautiful,” both featuring backup dancers. He eventually performed “No Blueberries” with DPR LIVE and closed out his set with “Ballroom Extravaganza,” marking another successful HITC for the DPRs.
Phum Viphurit
Portrait of Phum Viphurit in the media tent
As the weather cooled down, Phum Viphurit’s chill music and contagious smile brought joy to the Double Happiness Stage. His mellow songs, coupled with skillful guitar solos, a double mic setup that harmonized his voice, and a hint of funk from the keys, introduced a calming change of pace that set him apart from the preceding acts.
Despite “Lover Boy” being Viphurit’s most popular song, in a post-performance interview, he explained that “Welcome Change” was his favorite to perform. He loves the closing song of both his latest album and HITC set because of “the change from the really slow part to the upbeat dance part” – a sonically literal and lyrically figurative welcoming of change.
Although the singer-songwriter grew up in Thailand, New Zealand, and India, he suggests that his global upbringing influences his storytelling in a subconscious way. Viphurit stated that he is a “very third culture kid.”
“I lived in New Zealand for a very long time, but I didn't feel like a Kiwi,” he said. “Or when I was back in Thailand, I didn't really feel like I was too Thai, either.”
Even though Viphurit did not feel “too Thai,” when growing up in Thailand, he still felt like he had to abide by the unspoken social codes of his community. His album “The Greng Jai Piece” allows him to provide his commentary on the Eastern norms that a lot of kids grow up with from an outside perspective. Songs like “Healing House” and “Greng Jai Please” tackle more serious themes regarding mental health issues such as substance abuse, allowing Viphurit to provide “my take on these little invisible rules that I grew up with.”
Viphurit explained that he sampled a lot of old 70s Thai folk songs to achieve a more organic feel, reflecting that it “was interesting to mix that into the storytelling with old Thai traditional norms and mixing it with my interpretation of music.”
Feeling accomplished after his first, but definitely not last, HITC performance, Viphurit shared his advice for budding musicians.
“Just go for it. Because you never know when your big break’s gonna be,” he said. “Surround yourself with supportive people who are honest about your work and have fun with it. And before you know it, you could be playing anywhere on Earth.”
dhruv
Spotlights illuminated dhruv as he sang his debut album “rapunzel” to a live audience for the last time.
Having photographed dhruv last November at SF’s Brick and Mortar – a small, intimate venue – seeing him mesmerize his audience at HITC LA speaks to his rapid growth as a performer. He exuded more confidence in taking up space and basking in the lights that illuminated him. Although it may have been a vulnerable experience, dhruv’s last performance on his world tour had his fans feeling the love and dreaming they could retrograde time to re-experience it.
Rich Brian
Indonesian rapper Rich Brian quickly picked up the pace at the 88 Stage.
Although he often flips off his audience during songs, the cool rapper also had moments of wholesome interaction too – telling his audience that “I want this to be a safe space for you guys to let loose a little bit” and charming his fans by saying “Lemme take my sunglasses off, I can’t see… you guys look cute as hell, damn.”
Brian expertly commanded the stage and showcased his musical growth, flaunting how he is a “regular at the Rose Bowl, Brookside, but I ain’t playing golf.”
Jackson Wang
Jackson Wang wrapped up Day 1 of HITC LA. Although at times his set got very intense and Wang was heavily panting, there was something strangely admirable about his dedication to keep performing.
Wang, who created the persona “Magic Man” for his second studio album of the same name, told the crowd that "Magic Man” means “finding your own true standard of happiness and satisfaction.” His message to the audience was: “Always remember, be f*king happy man… I’m still working on that… but LA, promise me today to go find your magic.”
Day 2
Day 2 at the 88 Stage started with ATARASHII GAKKO!’s upbeat dance moves, Yerin Baek’s dreamy vocals, and Zion.T’s unique blend of hip-hop, Korean R&B, and jazz.
ATARASHII GAKKO!
Yerin Baek
Zion.T
Lyn Lapid
Portrait of Lyn Lapid in the media tent on Day 1
Later in the afternoon, Filipina American singer-songwriter Lyn Lapid graced the Double Happiness Stage at her first HITC. From an interview during Day 1, Lapid told us that she was excited to show many new people her music.
Lapid kicked off her set with “Pager” followed by “ok with it” and “the alternative” from her most recent album “to love in the 21st century.” According to Lapid, the album’s title was inspired by “situationships and no label relationships epitomizing the experience of finding love as a Gen Z person, and as a young person in general, in the 21st century.”
Even though Lapid has a big online presence, she maintains her authentic and relatable voice by writing about her personal experiences in an accessible way. She explained how music is an outlet to connect with her current fans and new listeners.
“A lot of the time it just ends up where I write about a completely personal experience that I don't think anybody would relate to, but I find it surprising how many people like DM or message me and say that they are in the situation that I am,” Lapid reflected.
Despite unforeseen technical difficulties during her set, Lapid and her band handled it like pros. Guitarist Jacqueline Kim told a few jokes before the group performed the unreleased “Eastside” again and Lapid’s most popular song “In My Mind” acoustically. Although her first U.S. festival performance did not go as planned, Lapid’s supportive fans loved the acoustic songs. She still got to perform her favorite song of the set, “poster boy,” with all the sound back up again to close out her performance.
Lapid said that if she were to tell one thing to her younger self, it would be to wholeheartedly take the chance with pursuing music. She explained how when she was younger, she apprehensively considered studying medicine and becoming a doctor. However, she recognizes now that her deep love for music back then signaled potential in developing her passion into a full-time career. Extending her advice forward to aspiring artists, Lapid said, “I really urge you to really take that leap of faith… just believe in yourself, and be confident in your art and music.”
XG
The much-anticipated Japanese girl group XG made their LA debut at the 88 Stage. During introductions, fans paused to sing “happy birthday” to member Maya, celebrating her eighteenth birthday early at the festival. Fans in the crowd jumped up and down chanting lyrics while fans on the outskirts danced to the groovy choreography of songs like “LEFT RIGHT” and “SHOOTING STAR.”
grentperez
After wrapping up the Bittersweet Daze tour the day before, grentperez energetically bounced around the Double Happiness Stage at HITC LA. Having been to his headlining show in SF and watching him open Bittersweet Daze at Stanford, it’s clear that grentperez’s stage confidence increases with every performance. From his witty song intros to fun dance moves, one can see grentperez’s love for “messing around with the audience” – a highlight from performing he told us about before his Bittersweet Daze set last month.
grentperez’s impressive vocal runs, funny accents, and silly background visuals made his HITC LA performance stand out from his past ones, revealing that he still has fresh things up his sleeve for his newly announced “growing up?” tour this fall and winter.
NIKI
“We know she’s your type” was the announcement that signified that NIKI – the last solo headlining artist of the festival – was about to take the stage.
Although she missed last year’s festival, NIKI was still as charismatic as ever. She opened with songs from her “Nicole” album before throwing it back to “Vintage” from her debut EP “Zephyr.” She then transitioned into “urs” with her charming, slick wit: “I just want you to have fun. Do whatever you want, because tonight – is yours.”
Whether fans were with friends, significant others, or by themselves, everyone was brought together by NIKI’s catchy, relatable lyrics and charm as a performer. Although her recent “Live at The Wiltern” album gets close to capturing what it feels like to be at her show, nothing compares to actually being in the crowd.
Finale
The closing finale encapsulated what Head In The Clouds is all about: uplifting the Asian American and Asian community. 88Rising celebrated their fifth anniversary of Head In The Clouds with a set of acts exemplifying that we truly are stronger when we rise together– Tiger JK and Yoonmirae shouted call-and-responses, Zion.T brought out sokomodo for “MERRY-GO-ROUND,” Phum Viphurit and the Higher Brothers performed “Lover Boy 88” live for the first time, Japanese powerhouses YOASOBI and ATARASHII GAKKO! performed “アイドル” (“Idol”) together, and everyone came out to end the night with “Midsummer Madness.” Although the mics and sound cut off at 10 PM sharp, the crowd’s spirit kept “Midsummer Madness” alive as Rich Brian conducted the audience of 30,000 to sing through the outro.
After half a decade of success and many more festival-filled years to come, one thing is clear: as long as we, the Asian community, keep proudly telling our stories, we will always be rising.
Tiger JK with Yoon Mi-rae
YOASOBI with ATARASHII GAKKO!
ATARASHII GAKKO!
Masiwei with Rich Brian
