The Magic, Music, & Culture at HITC LA 2023

88rising’s Head In The Clouds Los Angeles 2023 took place on August 5th and 6th, in Pasadena, California! The annual festival took over the Brookside at the Rose Bowl once again for their 5th year anniversary. With artists coming from around the world, the festival brought in thousands of people who explored the music, culture, and of course, the magic, Head In The Clouds has to offer.

Cravings Satisfied with 626 Night Market & Boba Village!

The festival hosted many vendors this year. From those in the 626 Night Market side to those at Boba Village and others strategically placed around the festival grounds. Every year, the booths bring something new and unique to their fans. In addition, we saw parasols being used around the festival as some booths were selling them and attendees definitely needed them in the high 90 degree weather.

Another way to beat the heat was the plethora of drink choices the festival had to offer. A returnee was none other than BOPOMOFO who joined the lineup again. This time featuring a new drink – Cali Mango Lemonade! Over at the Boba Village: attendees had many choices including: Factory Tea Bar, who brought a refreshing 32oz Fresh Fruit Tea; Bobaful, Hey Hey, MILK+T, Sunright Tea Studio and Trà Space also kept fans hydrated and Boba cravings satisfied.

In terms of food choices, they didn’t fall behind: All Dat Dumpling, Baozza, Friedays, Ghostix, Luckyball Korean BBQ, Sandoitchi, Shake Ramen, Sugarmama Sugarcane, Sunday Cafe, Supreme Musubi, Tao’s Bao, and Waffleland to name a few. There were also special booths such as Melona, Coke, Arrowhead, Pure life, Red Bull, and McDonald’s that included activities and food/refreshments.

Of course, there was also alcohol because it wouldn’t be a festival without: Jinro, Johnnie Walker, Kirin Ichiban and Stella Artois!

Booths

The booths stationed at the festival gave fans the opportunity to shop around. There were also interactive activities at these booths. For instance, Clo’s Infinity Room with Bose had a claw machine where everyone could play it for free. There were mini stuffed animals as well as opportunities to win speakers and headphones. Inside the trailer was a dark lit up room where Clo stuffed dolls were put around and it acted like a photobooth.

Other booths included the HONDA 88R booth that had cars, 88 rising Honda merch and much more. While the booth was awesome, it was hotter in there than it was outside. Alongside those were the Guess University (or Guess Originals) and the Musinsa (clothing brand). XG Fan Experience, Head Count and more were scattered around the festival grounds.

Eternal Energy Dance Tent

Need an AC break? This was a great place to be! It was darker in the dance tent and there was AC blasting inside so it was much cooler than outside. DJ’s included AUTOGRAF, Josh Pan, TOKIMONSTA, BEAUZ, SOSUPERSAM among many others! They all had their sets inside and fans were seen coming in and out of the tent throughout the two days. It was a fun dance party inside thanks to the amazing DJ’s on stage. The Eternal Energy Dance Tent was presented by AT&T.

Double Happiness Stage

The Honda Double Happiness stage featured incredible artists! Throughout the two days, fans crowded the stage to see their favorite artists. Spence Lee, a Chinese-Vietnamese American rapper (check out his interview and photoshoot at HITC), performed for the crowd on the first day of the festival. He performed his song “ARRIBA”, “Write My Name”, an unreleased track, and many more. Likewise, grentperez took over the stage on the second day of the festival where everyone sang along and cheered him on (check out his fun photoshoot & read his interview pre-HITC). He performed tracks such as “Silver Lining” and ended his set with a fan favorite, “Cherry Wine”.

Artists performing on the Double Happiness stage also included Akini Jing, Phum Viphurit, Keith Ape, Dhurv, Sion, Zoir Park, Lyn Lapid and many more. We can’t forget Stephanie Poetri as she isn’t a stranger to the festival or 88 Rising. She had her own set for the ready fans.

88rising Stage Day 1

The main stage, 88rising, featured the hottest stars. 88rising’s very own Warren Hue started off the festival with his set on the big stage featuring his friend/partner-in-crime Chasu. He performed many of his songs, including “Boy of the Year” and his latest track “Tennessee”. Masiwei also took the stage this year on the first day of the festival and fans showed just how excited they were for his set. He performed many of his tracks, including “R&B All Night”.

Thailand’s very own Milli, who performed at HITC festivals in the past as well as Coachella, also took over the main stage. The young hip-hop artist is known for her fun stage presence and wonderful skills. She also featured Warren for an unreleased track and now we can’t wait for the release! It was that good. Milli performed many of her tracks like “Mirror Mirror”, “Mind Games”, and “Mango Sticky Rice”. She also stopped while chatting with the audience to grab a photo-card from the audience. It ended up being Han of Stray Kids as everyone knows she’s a big fan.

Rina Sawayama, a Japanese and British singer, actress, and model has been gaining popularity with her music and style. Rina was absolute magic on the main stage where she had outfit changes and great performances. The crowd went wild for her phenomenal performances. She performed tracks such as “Frankenstein” and “XS” before ending her set with “This Hell”. We did overhear a few attendees wishing her set was towards the end when it was dark and we completely understand them as her performance was edgy and dark.

Day 1 Continues

It’s always an amazing time when DPR LIVE + DPR IAN come to the stage. The two performed some of their greatest hits. First to the stage is DPR LIVE performing many popular tracks but of course, he didn’t leave the stage until the fan favorite “Martini Blue” was complete. He then stated that he was going to bring a sexy gentleman to the stage. This of course let us know who was next! DPR IAN hit the stage in all black showing off his sexy tattoos. He performed many songs including “Mood” and “So Beautiful”. For those who know about DPR gang, those in attendance got the treat of their usual collaboration during “No Blueberries”.

The festival as a whole filled the evening sky with their voices as they sang along to ZEDD‘s special performance on day 1. After ZEDD, there has to be a strong performer and there was no doubt this artist could take over the entire festival with his presence. 88rising’s very own Rich Brian came to the stage and performed some of his greatest hits. He took fans through memory lane – from the start of his music career to now. Tracks like “History,” “edamame,” and “100 Degrees” had everyone singing along.

Rich Brian is renowned for his frequent audience banter and he didn’t disappoint this time. Fans shouted “take it off” which had him responding that he felt comfortable at the moment. This caused the laughter he was after and he went on to say that maybe later he’ll take if off since he didn’t want anyone to pass out from how hot he is. Following his set, came the finale by Jackson Wang who ended day 1 with his Magic Man performance (recap below).

88rising Stage Day 2

LØREN kicked off the second day of the festival with his set. He previously performed at HITC New York and Coachella so LA fans were happy to have him on the stage. It won’t feel like a Head In The Clouds festival without the popular Japanese girl group, Atarashii Gakko! They delivered a strong performance as always and performed many tracks, including their “giri giri”, “The Edge”, and popular single “Pineapple Kryptonite”. Special photos of the group coming soon!

Yerin Baek joins the lineup this year and she was the perfect addition for the festival. Despite the heat, she emerged wearing a full black fit and looked stunning with her long, wavy golden hair, which shone brilliantly in the sunlight. Yerin performed tracks such as “I Am Not Your Ocean Anymore”, “Square”, as well as “Bubbles&Mushrooms”.

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Zion.T and the cheers were exceptionally loud for his set. He dressed in a yellow outfit and was sporting blonde hair. He performed many tracks during his set including “Yanghwa BRDG”, “Just”, “Malla Gang”, “Complex” and more! Zion. T even laid down on stage when he said he wanted to take a picture with the audience causing everyone to laugh but also wonder what he was doing.

Day 2 Continues!

XG made their west coast debut at the festival this past weekend. The group performed their tracks “Shooting Star”, “Mascara”, “GRL GVNG” and of course, “Left Right”! The girls thanked their fans for all the love they have been showing them and ended their set with their single, “TGIF” off their newest mini album.

Everyone at the festival appeared to rush to the main stage to watch Yoasobi, demonstrating how well-known they had become internationally. They started their set by performing “The Blessing”, as well as, “Racing Into The Night”and of course, the crowd were extra loud for their most popular track, “Idol” from the anime Oshi no Ko. Throughout the large crowd, we saw many doing the dance challenge that has become popular online. This stage marked their first USA performance and LA showed them so much love.

Day 2 concluded with NIKI’s magical performances right before the finale of artists.

Headliners Jackson Wang & NIKI Bring Magic To The Clouds

Jackson Wang brought his Magic Man performance to Head In The Clouds once again for night 1. With his red and black outfit and two toned hair, he showcased his strong personality through the stage. He performed many of his hit tracks, including “Long Gone”, “Cheetah”, “100 Ways”, and many more. The audience could tell Jackson went all out for his stage as he stopped a few times to catch his breath. He revealed that his Magic Man album is about finding your true standard of happiness.

NIKI never fails to bring everyone together for her sets. She was the festival’s headlining act on the second night, and when she entered the stage wearing a stunning black costume, the crowd erupted in loud applause for the HITC queen! NIKI performed many tracks including “Before”, “Urs”, “Backburner”, and many more. The singer revealed “La La Lost You” is a very important song because she performed it in NY and they turned up for the track. LA showed New York exactly why they can’t beat the City of Angels and sang along to every word loudly. It was especially loud for the fan favorite, “High School In Jakarta”. NIKI ended her set with “Every Summertime”. She thanked fans for waiting for her as she had to miss HITC LA last year. This year, fans offered her even more support as they were happy she was back.

The Finale

Since it was the 5th year anniversary of the festival, many artists who didn’t even have sets throughout the festival showed up for the finale. The finale began with K-Hip-Hop legend couple, Tiger JK and Yoon Mi Rae who performed a couple of their tracks including “Get It In”. There seemed to be mic trouble so the performance didn’t garner much enthusiasm when they first came out but it was still enjoyable. Soon after they exited the stage, Zion.T appeared and the screams were even louder. He performed his track “Click Me” and to everyone’s surprise brought Sokodomo to the stage with him for “Merry-Go-Round”.

Next up, the loud cheers were deafening as KnowKnow appeared on stage! Seems he should have had his own set at the festival because his popularity is undeniable. He performed “Mr. Bentley” as well as the popular track, “R&B All Night”. Phum Viphurit and Masiwei joined KnowKnow on stage for their 88rising song, “Lover Boy 88”. If you thought the finale would end with that, you are completely wrong. Masiwei performed another track before Keith Ape appeared on set with his special guest, Okasian. Of course, the crowd went wild for the track, “It G Ma”!

It’s Not Over

Rich Brian came to the stage to perform “Gospel” with Keith Ape before they got off the stage for Milli! She wore a pink outfit for her rap performance and left the stage so Yoasobi can take over. They performed a couple tracks, including one with Warren Hue and “Idol” with Atarashii Gakko! which had everyone jumping. Atarashii Gakko! went to the extended stage for a short performance before they ran back to the main stage where they were joined with everyone for the goodbye performance. Again, there were mic issues but fans sang Midsummer Madness out loud with Rich Brian’s encouragement to end the show.

The artists said their goodbyes with a group photo! 88rising, always rising!

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Head In The Clouds is headed to Jakarta for their “88 Degrees and Rising” which includes NIKI, Rich Brian, XG, Milli, Stephanie Poetri, Warren Hue, Atarashii Gakko!, and Spence Lee this September 2023!

Article by Diana

Photos by yuna.photos