By Aleisha Flores
MAY 31 2024
Head in the Clouds New York Music & Arts Festival (HITC NYC) returned to Forest Hills Stadium in Queens for its second year on May 11-12. Coinciding with Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month, HITC brought 18 talented artists from the global Asian diaspora to a single stage in the world’s biggest melting pot. The festival followed 88rising’s recent “88rising Futures” stage at Coachella back in April, which featured rising Asian talent.
In addition to insane talent, HITC NYC also featured mouthwatering eats and beverage options from local Asian restaurants. The lumpia from Patok by Rach, steamed chicken bowl and lychee granita from Gai Chicken & Rice, and salmon donburi from Tomokase were personal favorites.
Wang OK opened up the first day with a chill set in both English and Mandarin that blended pop, rock, classical and jazz. Young Posse, a K-Pop girl group who’ve gone viral for their heavy hip-hop sound, took the stage right after. They hyped up the crowd by throwing scrunchies into the crowd. Where Young Posse showed the quirky and playful side of K-Pop, Balming Tiger, who performed right after, brought the self-made and weird side. As member Omega Sapien put it, “Welcome to K-Pop from the dark side.”
Alt-pop songstress Juliet Ivy brought Gen Z charm to the stage dressed in head-to-toe red. Even her mic stand and guitar were accessorized with red ribbons. Before performing “is it my face?” she referenced the song’s lyrics by reading out “things you’re not supposed to say” compiled from festival attendees. Hot takes included “pineapple belongs on pizza” and “milk should come before cereal.”
The evening’s sets featured some of the most hotly anticipated acts of the night. R&B singer thuy, had the crowd falling in love with faves like “vapor rub,” “figured u out,” and a new song called “cloud 11.” Afterward, dhruv serenaded the audience while Korean indie band wave to earth kept the relaxed energy going with their debut US festival appearance.
Dubstep masters Illenium and Dabin followed in their first-ever B2B set and two took attendees through a rollercoaster of emotions with their greatest hits as the sun set. Girl group (G)I-DLE came on, they brought their “Queencard” and had the audience going crazy. It was a stunning close to Day 1.
Day 2 started off with with a bang with rapper Spence Lee, who threw handkerchiefs into the crowd brought Slim Jxmmi out to perform their collab “SRT” down by the barricade. 88rising fan-favorite Warren Hue followed and played hits like “omomo punk,” “BOY OF THE YEAR,” and dropped an unreleased track called “Rodeo.” Japanese rapper Awich, aka the Queen of Japanese Hip-Hop, also took the stage.
Deb Never was a standout despite her set only being 30 minutes and also suffering from technical difficulties. The PNW native captivated the crowd with her relatable songs about queerness, girlhood, and love. Lyn Lapid and her all-girl guitarist and bassist team blew the crowd away. Genre-bending Filipino artist Eyedress, who was wearing a large rain parka despite the heat, also had the crowd bouncing.
Japanese girl group Atarashii Gakko! delivered a high-energy set filled with humor. At one point Suzuka dove into the audience, took a fan’s plushie, then threw it back into the crowd – in the opposite direction.
BIBI effectively seduced the crowd during her debut East Coast performance alongside DJ Zo. During “City Love,” she went into the crowd and kissed two fans. Unfortunately, this author wasn’t one of them.
HITC peaked as Joji, who was making his first public appearance since November 2023, took the stage for the last set of the night. His entire heart-wrenching set opened with “Sanctuary” and closed with “Glimpse of Us” but he offset the sad boi vibes by throwing pool noodles and floaties into the crowd.
Overall, HITC NY delivered a fun weekend for attendees and uplifted artists both established and new to the game. But tech issues, odd set time changes, and last-minute cancelation of the Finale set (an HITC mainstay) showed that it still has pain points to outgrow. Prices for weekend and day passes were also hiked up from last year with a significantly smaller lineup (18 artists compared to 26). If HITC returns to New York next year, we have our fingers crossed that things will be smoother.
That said, the event got 88rising fans excited about what the main Head in the Clouds LA festival would bring this summer. With information expected to drop soon, fans can stay up to date on Instagram.
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