From K-pop legends to EDM icons, 88rising celebrates 10 years with HITC

Returning for its fourth year in Pasadena, California, 88rising’s Head in the Clouds Music & Arts Festival (HITC) took over the Brookside at the Rose Bowl from May 31 to June 1. Celebrating 88rising’s 10th anniversary, the two-day festival presented a boast-worthy musical lineup that featured K-pop legends G-Dragon and 2NE1, EDM icons Porter Robinson and ARMNHMR, the long-awaited reunion of the Chinese rap group, Higher Brothers, and a 10-year Magic Show Party Finale with special guests including Jackson Wang, KUN, and more to close out the weekend.

In its decade as a label promoting artists of Asian descent, 88rising has introduced a number of standout artists such as NIKI, Joji, and Rich Brian. They also premiered artist medley showcases exclusively at Coachella for two years and curated the soundtrack for Marvel’s Shang-Chi And Legend Of The Ten Rings.

With more than 30 artists performing between two stages, the festival highlighted artists from the Asian diaspora representing various genres, from R&B and hip-hop, to K-Pop and EDM.

JoySauce chatted with a few artists at the festival. We discussed their stories, what it meant for them to be a part of HITC and more.

These interviews have been edited for clarity and length.

PIAO

For Chinese Canadian pop/R&B vocalist PIAO, becoming a singer wasn’t always part of her plan. Her initial focus was on earning her degree at Berklee College of Music to work on the business side of the music industry.

During her undergraduate studies at Berklee in 2019, PIAO began performing, finding space in the wedding music circuit. Her agency at the time suggested she upload a video of herself performing for more clientele exposure, which led her to share her rendition of T-Pain’s “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’).” By the next day, her cover had gone viral.

This led to a message from T-Pain himself, and soon after, a contract with his label, Nappy Boy Entertainment.

On day one of HITC, PIAO talked with us backstage about her surprising and unique artist journey, emotions and experiences that influence her musical storytelling, and her advice for anyone looking to follow in her footsteps. 

Sofia Gomez: You’ve got quite a fascinating background in becoming an artist. It seems like this wasn’t the path you were looking for, or at least pushing yourself towards. Now you’re here performing at 88rising’s Head in the Clouds. How does it feel to be performing at your first festival?
PIAO: I feel extremely grateful, but at the same time it still hasn’t hit me that I’m performing at Head in the Clouds. When I first heard about 88rising HITC, I was in high school and it just seemed like such a cool family and collective that was happening. I just never would have thought that I would be here performing at a festival (like this). But at the same time, I’ve been working with 88rising for a little while now, so honestly I’ve been telling everyone this feels like an end-of-school-year pizza party. [Laughs.]

SG: The lyrical content in your music feels very personal. It reminded me of your 2020 single “Cloudy,” which is about temporary sad times and how you must let those moments pass and not focus on it too much. Are there any other narratives that you’ve touched on in your music?
P: With my EP IMYSM, I touched on a lot of grief I’ve experienced and how super close I am to my mom. I have this song called “anticipatory grief” which is about hating the fact that our parents and pets will leave this earth before us and how they don’t live forever. Now that that project and music video is out, I feel like now I’m able to close that chapter and move on to the next. I definitely want to continue this narrative of being an immigrant child in North America, but at the same time I want to be more feminine in my next musical era. I want it to be more fun and take life less seriously. 

SG: That reminds me of the song you have with 88rising and Stephanie Poetri called “just a girl.” How was it working with Stephanie?
P: When I met Stephanie, it was almost like an instantaneous click. I call her my pookie. She’s my bestie, and I think the music is just a byproduct of being extremely close and best friends with a girl. I don’t think we ever intended on making music together. I think every time we hang out, it’s magical. So “just a girl” is an amalgamation of Stephanie and I hanging out together, girls being girls!

SG: You sing, compose, and produce your own music. Do you have any advice for people that are looking to follow the singer-songwriter pathway?
P: I would say, ask for help. It’s something that I had to learn how to do. I tend to be kind of a control freak when it comes to my own stuff and a perfectionist. But there’s more to open up when you ask for help, and there’s just so much more friendships and connections to be made with people that ultimately want the same thing as you. Message people, make friends, and be open to collaborations because they’re really cool. Some of my best friends I’ve made came through collaboration.

SG: How important is it for you to see Asian representation in both media and festivals like Head in the Clouds?
P: I think it’s extremely important. I remember specifically when I first emigrated from Shanghai to Toronto, I was watching MuchMusic, which is the equivalent of MTV in Canada. I remember telling my mom, “Oh my god, it’d be so cool to be a pop star,” and her telling me, “Well do you see anybody that looks like you on TV? It’s going to be extremely hard for you to do anything close to that.” Being here in 2025 and witnessing a whole festival, essentially highlighting Asian and Asian American acts, is so important for kids growing up and people aspiring to be creative.

Youha 

At 25, South Korean singer, songwriter, producer, and composer Youha has found her destined path as a solo artist. 

She was first introduced in 2012 as a member of a pre-debut team known as “Future 2NE1,” alongside three other trainees at YG Entertainment. However due to unknown circumstances, the debut was cancelled. 

She pursued a solo career, and by 2020, released her first single, “Island.” From there, Youha released singles including “Abittipsy,” “Cherry On Top,” and “Flight,” and dropped her EP, love you more, in 2022.

We spoke with Youha on day two of the festival about performing at her first U.S. festival, her experience working with 88rising, and what she hopes to achieve next.

SG: I heard it’s your first official U.S festival appearance performing at Head in the Clouds LA.You just finished performing not too long ago. How did it feel?
Youha: Well, I can’t believe I’m here in Los Angeles and I’m so happy and excited. I hope to show you and the audience everything about me (as an artist). Before I went on stage, I felt like, “Oh my gosh, I can’t handle this,” because I was so nervous since it was my first time with a big performance. But now, I’m just so happy and it feels so fresh, I want to do it again. [Laughs.]

SG: Your song “skippy” featuring yy just dropped a few days ago, how was the song process? How was it performing with yy live on stage?
Y: It’s always a pleasure to work (under) 88rising because they respect and support my music and above all, I was able to (record) the genre I was most eager to try in a fun way. Honestly when I was young, I really wanted to join 88rising and now it’s happening, it still feels like it’s not real. I’m even happier to have been able to perform this with my friend yy. She’s so good! When I was with yy, she really gave me a positive vibe and she is a brave performer.

SG: You’re a singer, songwriter, composer, producer. You’ve even helped write songs for several K-pop groups. Now you can add festival opener to the list. Artistically, what do you think is next for you?
Y: I want to be a headliner like G-Dragon and 2NE1 sunbaenim, it’s my dream. Because I was training at YG for a long time, I will always admire them and always respect K-pop groups. I just love music so much that I want to try every challenge I can through it.

yy 

A new addition to 88rising who made her debut performance on day two of the festival, South Korean singer yy is finding her footing as an up-and-coming artist. 

In February, she released her first song, “Laundry,” which was featured in the festival’s promotional video on social media.

yy chatted with us about her music inspiration, working with labelmate and friend Youha, and her reaction to “Laundry” becoming the promo hit for the festival.

SG: You just wrapped up your set earlier today. How did you feel about it?
yy: I was actually so nervous but excited at the same time. But when I’m on the stage, I feel like I could do whatever and have fun. It felt good!

SG: I noticed your song “Laundry” was used as the soundtrack for the festival’s promo video. How did it feel to see your song used to promote this year’s festival?
yy: At first, my mom saw it and said, “Oh my god, it’s your voice!” and it made me really happy at that moment. It was like a dream. I wanted to perform it and now I want to do more! I hope I can release a couple more songs.

SG: You’re featured in Youha’s song “skippy,” a song perfect for today, especially since you guys performed it on stage earlier. How was it working together for this song?
yy: Since she’s also signed to 88rising like me, she and I got so close. We hung out a lot and (one day) I messaged her, “Can we work together?” and she said, “Yeah I’m down!” We had fun making “skippy” because we’re friends.

SG: Since this is just the beginning for you, is there anything different you want to try to challenge yourself artistically?
yy: Well I want to try to do songwriting more, and I want to try the genre trap. I’m not sure if she’s really (doing) trap, but I’m really into Molly Santana.

KUN

Chinese vocalist KUN is a full-fledged, multi-hyphenate in the entertainment industry—singer, songwriter, producer, fashion icon, and mentor. Raised in Shenzhen, China, he rose to fame as lead vocalist for the Chinese boy group NINE PERCENT.

KUN’s discography—including songs like “Wait Wait Wait,” “Rebirth” with DJ KSHMR, “Afterglow” and “Lover (情人)”—has set streaming records and garnered major accolades, including the Tencent Music Chart Golden Single and the Billboard Global No. 1s China Representative title.

KUN spoke with us ahead of his surprise performance at the festival, touching on his career, and how his new single “Deadman” came into existence. 

SG: We’ve just discovered you’re a surprise guest tonight for the 10-year anniversary finale set and debuting “Deadman” live on-stage. How does it feel to perform as part of a celebration for 88rising?
KUN: I’m feeling very excited because this is going to be the first time I play this track in front of the crowds and a lot of people, because this song is like my baby. I’m just happy that people can really hear and feel it.

I’m just going to put my emotion in it and let the people feel and see the real me. I think that’s something I always want to do. I never played at festivals before. Now I’m ready to show the world who I am.

I’m also revealing another song today. It’s a new song that nobody has heard before. It’s called “Washed Away.” It’s about wanting to wash away the past, it’s my own personal emotion (in this song).

SG: Your new single “Deadman” dropped online a few days prior. Can you tell us more about the song’s details and process in making it?
K: I was at a song camp last summer, there were five different studios where we made music non-stop every single day. It was interesting because “Deadman” was the first song that we were working on in the camp. Sometimes you just know what you want, especially since it was the first day. I was telling everybody, “Hey I want to make this song.” So this character, he’s dying over and over again for the things he loves, I feel like that’s my own story. As I was telling everyone, we started playing guitar instrumentals and I started to freestyle.

I think it’s like a gift from God, too. Sometimes the inspiration just comes and you don’t know when you’re going to get a real one, again.

SG: Today, you’re a part of history helping close out this huge U.S. festival. Taking it all into consideration, what thoughts are going through your mind about this feat?
K: I’ve been through a lot of different stages (as an artist). I am a soloist, I was in boy groups, I was doing home concerts. But today, this is my first festival, so I feel like we’re starting a new journey right now. I’m just doing something that I really wanted to do before, but I didn’t have the time or chance before. Now I just want to share (with) people, “Hey, this is the music I really love.” It doesn’t matter if they like it or not, I just want to do it. So if people like it, I’ll be very thankful for it. If they don’t, that’s fine too. 

SG: Do you have any advice for any artists or people who feel inspired by your music?
K: If there’s anybody that hears my music or (wants) to create their own, that’s something I hope they do, because I did that. I listened to a lot of Prince, Elvis, David Bowie, Queen, and artists like them and got a lot of inspiration from their music. So now I want to do that for people when they listen to my music.