By Rachel Bui
The launch of Head in the Clouds NYC started off soaking wet, but despite the potential for the rain to complicate logistics, the festival still ran smoothly. The queue for entry was long despite the downpour, and many people were waiting in cold rain to see the strong lineup, from EDM to rap to K-Pop.
Forest Hill Stadium had an interesting venue layout where the 88Rising stage (main stage) and the Honda Double Happiness stage were relatively close together, but this didn’t pose a problem due to no overlap in the schedule, so acts weren’t competing for attention, sound-wise. For those who attended Head in the Clouds LA 2022, it was evident how strong the lineup was, considering that main stage acts from the previous festival were now on the Double Happiness stage. And with how close the stages were to each other, it was easy for festival goers to travel back and forth between the stages to see everyone, if they so wished.
An underrated act that I enjoyed was singer-songwriter Paravi – despite having one leg in a cast, she exuded lots of energy and personality, a bright sunshine character amidst a rainy day. Her husky voice was like a warm hug, delivering a heartfelt performance that offset the drizzling conditions for a little while. A thread that ran through her setlist was that of an Asian American woman honoring both the cultures she grew up in as well as her heritage. While some people may think this is an overdone storyline, I believe the reality is that this narrative still rings true for many people to this day, and I’m thankful that she told her story this way. I’m hoping that she and 88rising will continue to have a flourishing relationship so that she can perform again at Head in the Clouds in the future.
Thai rapper/singer Milli was part of Head in the Clouds LA 2022, and it was a joy to watch her perform again in New York. With dancers to match her energy, she performed her hits like “Sad Aerobic” and “Mirror Mirror.” Her performance was hotter than last year’s cheeky set, though she still touched on her playful side by ending her set with “Mango Sticky Rice,” a nod to the moment she went viral for last year at Coachella for eating mango sticky rice on stage.
Beabadoobee has been on tour with Taylor Swift over the last few weeks, so it was great for KTRU to see her again at this festival. Singing tracks like “See You Soon” (a favorite of hers, she confessed beforehand), “The Perfect Pair,” and “Glue Song,” the indie singer demonstrated with her soft, almost wispy voice still has a strong presence in the industry.
One particular act that had most people buzzed with anticipation for day 1 was ITZY, a 5-person K-Pop girl group that is popular worldwide. What was fun to watch with the girls was they treated their slot like a mini K-Pop concert, squeezing in time for games that the members played.
Another act that had people humming with excitement was XG, a 7-person girl group based in South Korea. Their North American debut was treated like a showcase, with different subunits within the group showing off their skills as either rappers or singers. They would be remiss to not perform “Left Right,” a song that was remixed with Jackson Wang and Ciara at Coachella this year.
Other notable acts include Wolftyla, whose silky voice started Day 2 strong, Loren (South Korean alternative rock singer), whose self-deprecating humor won many people’s hearts;, P-Lo, whose hiphop set brought probably some of the most hype to the Double Happiness stage; and Atarashii Gakko!, whose stunts while performing never ceases to amaze me. (Disclaimer: due to an injury, I wasn’t able to see DPR Live + DPR Ian or Niki, so I wasn’t able to review them).
With another debut of the Head in the Clouds series closing this weekend out strong, I’m hoping that 88rising will continue to hold this festival annually in New York for years to come.
Photo by @Bryan.Kwon.Photos
