88rising made Coachella their own with a historic Head In The Clouds Forever showcase.
Thousands of hearts thumped loudly to the sound of the 88rising's beat at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival last 16 April (Saturday). 88rising, whose lineup purely features Asian acts, made history as they became the first record label to receive an official performance slot to showcase its artists.
They brought forth powerhouses Warren Hue, MILLI, BIBI, NIKI, Rich Brian, HIKARU UTADA, Jackson Wang, and CL as their 80-minute set quickly turned into one of the major highlights of the festival so far. Head In The Clouds Forever was also supported by a cast of dancers and choreography by The Kinjaz and Madison Olandt, as well as immersive visuals directed by Curry Tian and Daniel "Cloud" Campos.
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A 3-track companion compilation, also titled Head In The Clouds Forever, was released on music streaming services. It includes 'froyo' by Rich Brian and BIBI, featuring Warren Hue, 'T' by HIKARU UTADA and Warren Hue, and 'Best Lover' by BIBI.
Here's what went down at Head In The Clouds Forever at Coachella 2022:
Warren Hue
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Warren Hue opened Head In The Clouds Forever at Coachella with an electrifying energy that shook the crowd in an instant. He ran through his 4-song set, performing crowd-favourites 'RUNAWAY W ME', 'HANDSOME', and 'Demo Star'.
Warren Hue Head In The Clouds Setlist:
- Freestyle #4
- RUNAWAY W ME
- HANDSOME
- Demo Star
MILLI
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19-year-old Thai rapper MILLI made sure everyone at Coachella knew that she didn't come in on an elephant, but certainly radiated with a kind of energy that screamed she had the toughness of an entire herd. She was so powerful that she even brought out a bowl of 'Mango Sticky Rice', a traditional Thai dessert and the title of one of her hits, and had a bite of it in the middle of her performance.
MILLI Head In The Clouds Setlist:
- Lazy Susan Freestyle
- Mirror Mirror
- Sudpang!
- Mango Sticky Rice
BIBI
BIBI Coachella stage killer #HITCForever pic.twitter.com/UfUyOUALju
— 88rising (@88rising) April 17, 2022
BIBI killed the stage with her intoxicating presence. She stepped in with creamy visuals cascading in the background, sensually swaying her hips to 'Bad Sad Mad' and 'Kazino'. She later brought out Queen of Korean Hip-Hop Yoon Mi-rae for 'The Weekend' and closed her set with 'Best Lover'.
BIBI Head In The Clouds Setlist:
- Bad Sad Mad
- Kazino
- The Weekend
- Best Lover
NIKI
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Sunset is the best time to play NIKI's music, and her performance taking place right at golden hour was spot on. Backed by a 15-piece orchestra, the Indonesian singer-songwriter made history as the first female Indonesian musician to perform at Coachella. She took a moment to play Andra & The Backbone's iconic song 'Sempurna' for her family and even switched a line off 'Split', singing "least I got my daddy but he's here at Coachella".
NIKI Head In The Clouds Setlist:
- Intro
- Drive On
- Sempurna
- Split
Rich Brian
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Rich Brian made everyone substantially happy during his 5-song set. Alongside NIKI, he too made history as the first male Indonesian solo act to bask under the spotlight at Coachella. He was on fire that night. And to commemorate the milestone, the Jakarta-based artist debuted a new song titled 'froyo'.
Rich Brian Head In The Clouds Setlist:
- Gospel
- Froyo
- Glow Like Dat
- Drive Safe
- Vivid
HIKARU UTADA
In no universe did I ever expect to hear Kingdom Hearts music at Coachella 🗝✨
— Arief Johan (@AriefJohan) April 17, 2022
Out here crying at Hikaru Utada’s performance of Simple and Clean at the 88Rising show 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/7rRODaJXrI
The crowd at Coachella was blessed by the presence of royalty that evening. For her first festival performance ever, HIKARU UTADA played the soundtrack of your youth, reawakening your inner child with the Kingdom Hearts theme 'Simple and Clean'. After her 4-song set and Jackson Wang's fiery performance, she returned onstage to debut a new song called 'T'.
HIKARU UTADA Head In The Clouds Setlist:
- Simple and Clean
- First Love
- Face My Fears
- Automatic
- T
Jackson Wang
Jackson Wang Head In The Clouds Forever live from Coachella 2022 Main Stage. @JacksonWang852 #MAGICMAN@coachella @88rising
— TEAM WANG records (@teamwangofcl) April 17, 2022
.#88rising#Coachella#HITCForever #jacksonwang #잭슨#王嘉爾 #TEAMWANGrecords pic.twitter.com/xM6ibQeuFl
No matter how much the crowd tried to keep hydrated, Jackson Wang's presence kept everyone thirsty. It was 'Cruel' to say the least. His snappy movements were captivating and creatively choreographed with the pop star making history as the first Chinese artist to perform on the Coachella main stage.
Jackson Wang Head In The Clouds Setlist:
- 100 Ways
- Cruel
- Blow
- California (with Warren Hue, Rich Brian)
CL & 2NE1's surprise reunion
오늘 이 순간을 통해 다시금 지난날 우리를 통해 느꼈던 감정이 살아나길 바라요.
— CL (@chaelinCL) April 18, 2022
오늘 무대를 빛나게 해준 우리 멤버들과 이 무대를 함께 만들어 주신 모든 분들에게 다시 한번 감사하고
다음에는 이 무대 한 시간을 다 채우는 날을 위해 저는 계속 달리겠습니다. pic.twitter.com/t8ke6h7NV0
CL didn't allow the crowd to take a breather. She stepped out of the smoke, donning a black fit against the golden lights that flashed around her. Running through 'Spicy', 'Chuck', and 'Hello Bitches' was all just warm-up for her though, as she went on to blow everyone's minds with a 2NE1 surprise reunion. It'd been seven years since their first live performance and their surprise reunion at Coachella with 'I AM THE BEST' became one of the biggest highlights in the festival's history.
— 88rising (@88rising) April 17, 2022
CL Head In The Clouds Setlist:
- Spicy
- Chuck
- Hello Bitches
- I’m The Best (with 2NE1)
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