By Rachel Bui
This year marked the 4th annual Head in the Clouds (HitC) festival. Started in 2018 in Los Angeles,
the festival has only grown (the festival will also happen in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Manila,
Philippines later this year). Started by 88rising, a music platform and record label primarily for artists
of the Asian Diaspora, this year the festival partnered with Golden Voice, the force behind
Coachella. This partnership so early in such a niche festival’s history establishes that the music
industry is slowly understanding that consumers crave more authenticity without the pandering. This
festival invited the 626 Market as well as other local Asian small businesses (Bopomofo was
especially a significant, started by one of the founders of Wong Fu Productions, Philip Wang. Wong
Fu Productions is an independent production company that highlights Asian short films).
Highlights of the festival included
- MILLI - her performance started off with her head literally in a cloud hat, signaling how
eccentric the young Thai rapper and singer can be - Thuy and BIBI – both have recently been announced as part of the YouTube Music Foundry
Class of 2022 (past alumni include Omar Apollo, Rina Sawayama, Saba, and more). - Jay Park – bringing on Sik-K and pH-1, all three of whom are major players of the Korean hip
hop/RnB scene - Keshi – hailing from the Houston metroplex, he proved once again why he’s well known in
the Asian American community - Kinjaz – one of the original Asian American dance crews based in LA, they showcased their
own choreography on Day 1 as well as partook in Jackson Wang’s performance on Day 2 - Yebi Labs – Joji’s debut DJ set was topped off with a surprise performance from Joji, which
ended Day 1 on a high note - Teriyaki Boyz – while the crowd turnout initially was hurting due to the competition with Rich
Brian’s stage, the crowd rushed to the Double Happiness stage once Tokyo Drift started
playing. It only got crazier from there. - Jackson Wang – as the headliner act to perform before the finale
- Finale – a surprise visit from Michelle Yeoh made for an epic closeout to the weekend