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88rising's Head in the Clouds festival has been showcasing some of the best music made across the Asian diaspora since 2018. With events in Los Angeles, Manila, and Jakarta, this year, the record label and management company finally brought the party to New York for the first time in 2023.

The festival was a homecoming for the rising company, pun absolutely intended, which first opened its doors in 2015 under the helm of Sean Miyashiro in New York City. The inaugural event featured a sonically varied, star-studded lineup, with Chinese electronic pop artist Fifi Zhang, Indonesian rapper Warren Hue, Korean indie alt rocker LOREN, Indian-American pop, singer-songwriter Paravi, and many more taking the stage over two days at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens.

Ones To Watch had the pleasure of sitting down with several artists from the jam-packed weekend to gather their thoughts on upcoming music plans and their ever-evolving artistic journeys. 

Ones To Watch: What were you doing immediately before this interview?

ISOxo: I was listening to this old Rusko dubstep track. I used to listen to it when I was ten years old. So yeah, I was just vibing out in the little artist's green room area, just trying to wind down.

Wolftyla: I was doing my weekly round of calling the people I love. It’s refreshing for me to just check in on the people I care about and make sure everyone is doing okay.

FiFi Zhang: I was taking 88rising Head In The Clouds fest portraits!

Spence Lee: We were shooting a scene for a music video. It's a, you know, on-the-road lifestyle video. 

Warren Hue: I just performed, so I was celebrating with a couple of friends and ate some chicken and fries in the green room.

Paravi: I was in my dressing room, cleaning off my electronics because they were completely soaked in my backpack. I have a $600 microphone that we were trying to salvage, my in-ears, which were $100, and my phone charger and headphones.

LOREN: I did the show and had a couple of other PR things to do, but we were all celebrating with the boys. I think the show went great. I think the crowd liked it. I always think it could have been better because I'm pretty rough on myself, but I was very happy with how it went and enjoyed myself above everything else, so we were drinking and celebrating.

Knock2: I actually met Dabin for the first time, and I saw a really good friend of mine that is also an artist here, Jana, and we just chopped it up and caught up and just wiped out for a second before she had to play. So it's cool, making new friends and seeing old friends here.

MILLI: I was getting dressed for the finale show! But before that, I was enjoying DPR's set. It was so good!

How does it feel to be performing at 88rising's first-ever NYC Head In The Clouds festival?

ISOxo: It's an honor. With this festival being more pop-oriented and one of the only electronic acts here, it feels good to represent that side of music. I feel like not a lot of people accept it. I want to push the culture forward with electronic music and stuff, and it's cool that 88 was open enough to have me be on and give me this opportunity.

Fifi Zhang: It's not just my first 88rising New York fest, but also my personal like, live performance ever! It was super exciting.

Wolftyla: It was everything I hoped for it to be but better. I’m truly so grateful to be given the opportunity to perform in front of such a loving crowd, in the city where I’m from and ten minutes away from where I grew up.

Spence Lee: It's a blessing. I saw a lot of my childhood friends in the crowd. I saw my sister in the crowd and my cousins. It was amazing. You know, first New York Head In The Clouds still lit, regardless of the rain.

Warren Hue: It's pretty nice! It's definitely gloomy and rainy, but that's expected. I feel like it's kind of cool for 88 because it's almost like a homecoming for them because this is where it was founded, and they're based out here. So like being with the team, and everyone is very pleasant, and New York has one of the craziest energies too. So I love performing out here.

Paravi: I completely, like, don't realize that I'm here, and it's probably gonna set in in a few weeks from now to realize that I did it because it's been so many months leading up to it. Like, it's my first festival, so it's all this excitement, all this energy, and adrenaline, and it just happened! Like it was like, I snap my fingers, and it was just like gone. So I feel honored, blessed, and unbelievably excited to be here, and I hope there are many more. I love 88rising, and I just feel so thankful to be here.

LOREN: It's crazy! It's a dream come true. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how fast things are progressing. I haven't done that many shows in my life, and to think that I get to perform in front of all these amazing people, it's mind-blowing, but I'm trying to get used to it. You know what I mean?

Knock 2: I feel incredibly honored to be here in the first place representing dance music at this festival because, you know, 88rising and Head In The Clouds is predominantly singers and rappers. So yeah, just being an artist my size, I would have never thought I'd be here today, just honestly, this soon to close out the festival on the second stage. So it's a crazy, crazy honor, and I'm grateful to be here. I can't wait to rock the crowd, rock the energy.

MILLI: Oh my god, of course, I'm excited! I felt so nervous at first, but it's my first time in New York, and New York, for me, is a city where people choose to chase their dream. So I think people will enjoy my performance!

Do you have a pre-show routine or ritual that you do before going out on stage?

ISOxo: You just reminded me. I always have this lucky shirt that I bring to every show. Dude, I forgot it. Oh, fuck, maybe that's why it's raining today. Holy shit. I know, didn't bring a lucky shirt. Well, there's that's part of the pre-show ritual. I also stretch. Usually, do some lunges and do that stretch where you try to touch your toes and stuff. I'm not good at it, but I like to jump a lot near the end of my set, and I don't know; it always happens, but I always cramp up. I need to stay hydrated and stretch, but yeah, that's my pre-show ritual.

Wolftyla: I always like to call my close friends before a show. They pump a lot of support and confidence in me—and always give me gentle reminders of how hard I work leading up to shows. I like to make tea, do vocal warm-ups, and right before I step foot on stage, I always close my eyes and say a powerful prayer.

Fifi Zhang: Yeah, I love to do like a little crazy dance, like to relax and do some vocal warmups.

Spence Lee: So I always run a mile on the day of the show. Then I do a workout, so usually weights. Then I do some breathing exercises, pray with my whole crew, and say a prayer by myself. And then yeah, that's my ritual, usually. And I typically eat fruit before I perform. I love fruits, all the exotic tropical fruits.

Warren Hue: I just don't speak or, like, I don't know, I just try to relax and avoid a lot of communication and social energy because I feel like, I get distracted too easily. I just want to be alone most of the time, keep calm with myself, and keep my composure. And that's it. I don't do anything like crazy. 

Paravi: Yes, I talk to my parents! I did my first headline show in April at the Moroccan Lounge, and I FaceTimed my parents right before I left for the stage. They couldn't be there, but they could be here today, so I just got to talk to them! But yeah, I just reground myself and then kind of just put on that bad bitch mode, go full theatrical, full acting, and just make sure that people have a good time. I hope that I did that today. I did as good as I could with a broken foot and pouring rain. 

LOREN: I, like, hide behind the stage, and I watch the person before me, and I try to visualize how it's gonna be. I drink moderately before as well and try to, you know—I'm still trying to work with the band. A couple of kids from the band are actually my childhood friends who are not so familiar with performing and music itself, so I try to give them a lot of encouragement. But I think that certain sense of pressure on myself to carry the team helps me keep my composure, and yeah, we were all talking about just having fun. You know, like, even if we fuck up, it's ok.

Knock2: It's a little weird, but, well, ok, it's not that weird. I have to go to the bathroom first. So make sure all the fluids and the other stuff are out. I also take a quick moment to soak in the moment. I feel like when you look in the mirror, you can really soak in the moment and really realize what the fuck you're doing. So I do that a lot. And I do a quick prayer.

MILLI: I always do this. I take a deep breath three times. The first two times, I'm closing my eyes, but the third time, the last time, I'm just ready, and after I breathe, I open my eyes, and that's it. I switch it. The problems—if I have a problem with anything before—I forget it. I forget everything. It is only between me and the crowd and a stage and how I perform up there.

How do you decompress and ground yourself after the highs of performing?

ISOxo: Water. Like hella water. Whenever I do a show, it's always with my friends and stuff, and we celebrate, maybe, you know, have a little drink. But yeah, just vibes.

Wolftyla: I really like to watch playback footage of the performance and take notes on what I can do better next time. I think that’s the inner basketball player that comes out, because when I was younger, after every game, I’d watch old games and see how I could improve myself. I also love to get a really good Korean meal, just be around my loved ones and live in the excitement after performing or go skateboarding with my husky.

Fifi Zhang: It's the thought that I can go back home, take a bubble bath, and clean my room that keeps me calm.

Spence Lee: Go home and take a shower. Yeah, go eat something, Drink water. I like to be with my friends and just chill.

Warren Hue: I try to talk to my mom. She helps keep me grounded, so I like communicating with her after the show. She's here today. She goes to like every single show. She's super supportive.

Paravi: I talk to the people who saw me. Like today, immediately after I got off stage, I just got on my crutches and went to the barricade and said hi to everybody and talked to people, and my business manager came to see me, and I got to see her and her family. I think reconnecting with the actual people and not just seeing faces in a sea of an audience is crucial for me to recenter myself and be like, "Oh wow, this means something," and this is for the good of something.

LOREN: It's not very difficult because I don't feel like I'm a superstar, but definitely today, I had to sit down by myself for five minutes and just kind of take it all in. It happened so fast. Whenever we finished the song, I was kinda heartbroken that, like, "Alright, that's gone." Like, that moment was gone. But it was great, and I want to reach a point where I develop a ritual or routine to the point where it is consistent, and it happens so often enough for me to actually have a routine.

Knock2: Well, first off, hydrating again and drinking water. Being up there and putting all that energy out there and even putting myself out there is a lot, so I'm definitely hydrating first. And then, sometimes, honestly, I don't think the feeling stops until the next day. It lingers because I go home, or even after, I just want to see all these clips people took and all the mentions. I love seeing my show from a different perspective. But then, after that, the real decompression is the flight back home or the ride back home, or I can be in my bed and just lay down and keep watching the clips and just be grateful.

MILLI: Oh yeah, after the show, I'll get tired, so my energy is so low. I'm so tired, like I'm trying to remember to dance and enjoy the festival with people and the crowd. Oh, the crowd in New York City is so great, though! But yeah, after that, I get back and sit down, and my energy is just gone. I do like to eat after. It's like my reward. So yeah, I like to eat and drink and dance, enjoy the other artists' shows, and then I'm reset and back to normal.

Is there any upcoming music or any future plans fans should know about? 

ISOxo: I announced my debut album last year, and it's set to come out this year. I promise you it is coming this year. I promise you it's coming out a lot sooner than you think. I'm working really hard on it. I really want to put out great art and not rush things. Everything is in its due time. I want to say this to you, the fans. I appreciate my fans and everyone that's been really patient with me and really trusting my vision for this project, and taking my time. I feel really grateful for the people that support me.

Wolftyla: Yes! You can absolutely expect more music this year! I’m really excited for all of it and can’t wait to keep showing the world how versatile I can really be. "Kiss and Tell" is officially out on all streaming platforms so that’s my first single I wanted to start the summer off with! I’ve been listening to it on repeat as if it’s someone else’s song—it’s pretty catchy not going to lie.

Fifi Zhang: I have some exciting news to announce. I'm gonna release a new remix EP on June 9! Also, there'll be a new single called "Replay Remix" next week. I just performed that today, it was the last song of my set, and everyone was dancing to it, so I'm really happy about it. And also a new song called "Petals," which I also just performed today.

Spence Lee: My album is coming out real soon! I got a new song called "Spend My Days," and it's a really soulful, feel-good song. I know that people are gonna love it because I love it. So yeah, I got a lot of music coming out. A lot of great, feel-good, positive, uplifting, inspiring, energized music. I got a lot of clothes coming in. I draw and design clothes and handmake clothes and stuff. So I got that coming. I'm on a tour right now with MaSiWei. We about to hit Chicago, Toronto, and Vancouver. So you know, it's lit. Sold out dates, everything sold out, so we goin up. Shout out to MaSiWei. Shout out 88rising. Shout out Ear Drummers.

Warren Hue: I'm definitely trying to get into fashion a lot these days. I'm trying to do something different than music. I'm obviously still creating mixtapes and albums; nowadays, songs could end up anywhere. Like, I'm just making songs for fun and seeing where it lands instead of being too focused on a full-blown project. So I've just been doing a bunch of shit and trying to mold all of them together, like fashion and music. So I'm trying to push them both out together for the future.

Paravi: This next single is going to change a lot of things. I don't know why, but I have just a gut feeling that this next song, "Skeleton," which was at the end of my set today, will change many things. I don't know how and I can't tell you why or when, but it's just entering a new era of my artistry and really going for those like stadium-esque songs. It still incorporates storytelling and incorporates all the things I love about songwriting. But, still, it's also just a friggin' banger, man! I'm excited to come out as, like, not this ballad-y, slow song piano ballad girl and really step into my power as a pop star.

LOREN: I love the first album, but it does feel like it comes from a very extended period of time. I'm working on a second album right now. I played one of the songs today, and I'm excited to have something that feels more personal and closer to where I am today get released, and I'm excited for people to react to it. Seeing people get moved by something that I create is magical, so I think that is what I'm looking forward to musically.

MILLI: I just released my first album of mine. It's called Babb Bum Bum. It's a Thai name that means, like, extravaganza and like something big because I always talk loud when I perform, I dance big, you know? So please go check that out! It's a ten-track album, so I hope you like at least maybe one! And after this festival, I'm gonna graduate. Then, if you want anything, tell me I will do everything! Also, there's maybe a single music video in collaboration with other artists. You'll have to see!

What's one thing you would say to your past self, the you at the beginning of your artistic journey? 

ISOxo: I don't want to be cliche and say don't give up, but that's definitely one of the things I would say. I want to preface by saying to myself, look, there will be hard and rough times and other times where you'll feel like you're on top of the world. Sometimes on some days, it's just rough. And you have to realize that that's all part of the process. Nothing great comes without hardship and working hard and shit. So that's one thing, but that's the most basic way I could put it. I guess perseverance and really keep your head straight. Stay close to your friends. They're gonna be with you forever. 

Wolftyla: I would tell myself, "You hold all the keys to the doors they try to shut you out of and to stay the course. If there’s ever a room that makes you feel small or uncomfortable, build a new room and invite the people you love into it. Wait on absolutely no one to get things done. Focus on the craft and the love because everything you need is already in you."

Fifi Zhang: I'm still beginning my artistic journey, so I would say relax and try anything and have fun!

Spence Lee: There's room for you. Your voice deserves to be heard, and your story deserves to be heard. Everybody's voice matters, especially when you have the passion and drive for it. So remember your gift, and always use it because you're giving it to give to others and to share with others. And I would tell my younger self to create every day and create the things that tell your story because once this life is done, who else is gonna tell your story? So you got to do something that's gonna mark the period you lived in and the era you lived in. So stand for what you believe in, and your perspective on the world, and other kids out there are gonna relate to it, or the kids out there are going to see it, hear it. They're going to be inspired by it because it doesn't just start with just us, the individual. We must keep it going and inspire the next generation. My younger self, I would tell him to keep going. Keep going and be proud. I want everyone's story to be told because all Asians are different. We get stereotyped and categorized a lot into one big group, but it's the biggest continent in the world, so how can you hear one Asian person's story and think that's all Asian people's story. So everybody's story needs to be told, and that's up to us. So keep going.

Warren Hue: You should spend more nights recording and doing what you love. Honestly, you don't know where it can get you because all those nights and hours spent in my bedroom making hella music off hype beats really worked out, and it went somewhere. And yeah, use the internet because now we're living in the internet age. Use it as much as you can to expose your music. And yeah, keep going.

Paravi: Just let it go. I think everything always works out exactly as it's meant to work out. I don't think I would change anything. I would reassure her that when the spotlight fades, like with Tiktok and with quarantine success, when the spotlight fades, and you feel a little bit unworthy or feel like things have died down, and you're never gonna get back up, I still feel like that today, like, this is me speaking as like right here, right now, it's gonna come back, and your joy and your light is something that you choose to have. It's not dependent on outside things, like video views and streaming services. It's something that comes from within you. So I hope that she remembers to remember that because I'm trying to do that right now. 

LOREN: I've been in this music game for a long time. It's been countless years, and even up to last year, I didn't know if this would go anywhere. I hadn't done shows out, and I hadn't put an album, and it's hard to motivate yourself when you feel like you're just hitting on a wall that maybe feels unbreakable, but I'm glad that I still pushed forward with it. And if I had to tell myself it's like, you'll get there eventually, even if it's not today or tomorrow, if it's going to happen, it'll happen. So that's probably what I'll say to myself.

Knock2: Remember your promises and remember why you love music. I've had that realization multiple times with how things have been going so far in my career. With experiences going on and happening, you can get so blurry sometimes, and what I've really learned post-tour and even just doing festivals, too, is to really soak in the moment, remember why, and just be grateful. I always try to think about that time when I was sitting in the studio, well, like, not even a studio; I was sitting in my bedroom just making beats off my computer, listening to the song, and I'd stand up and pretend there was a crowd right in front of me. To do that now is the biggest blessing I could ever dream of. So, yeah, always remember where you came from.

MILLI: Bitch keep going! You got it, girl! I did a lot of auditions before becoming a rapper. I just kept doing it because I liked it and didn't like failing, but I love this. I love what I'm doing. I want to do it again and again and again and again and again and again. So, the thing I would tell her in the past is don't forget to exercise because if I had started at that time right now, I would have a six-pack already! *laughs* I don't have it yet, but I try so hard.

Do you have a message for your fans that you want to share with them?

ISOxo: Thank you, thank you so much. Again, as I said, thank you for being so patient and trusting me and what I want to do with my music. I know everyone, some people have a certain expectation for what type of music I should be putting out, but you know, I've been experimenting recently with styles and stuff. I've teased that a bit with these last releases, and people have been accepting and open to it, which is cool, and I'm really grateful for everybody that's stuck with me. And shit, if you don't like the new stuff, it's all good. Like, totally understand.

Wolftyla: Thank you for listening and loving me. I’m glad out of all the people to find and artists to listen to you choose to have me as one of them—and that means everything to me. That’s special.

Fifi Zhang: I'm so grateful for their support and the fans who came to this show in the pouring rain situation. Yeah, I want to say thank you so much!!!

Spence Lee: Fans, I love you. I appreciate you. I'm thankful that you are even listening to me, believe in my music, and get my music here. That's all I want is for people to appreciate my music and clearly the shows and the crowd and the streams... you know, I appreciate the love from all the fans.

Warren Hue: They had some crazy energy. Thank you so much for coming. Even though it was raining and gloomy, they still turned up for a couple of the songs. So I really appreciate that!

Paravi: My message for my fans is the same thing I would tell a younger me: your joy and your light come from you. I'm sure the people that choose to follow my journey and follow like my music and connect with it, I'm sure that they felt a lot of the same things that I've been feeling about this musical journey about a lot of self-doubts and a lot of, like, no motivation out of nowhere. I've always been a very driven person, and sometimes the industry gets hard. It gets hard to chase your dreams. It's not something that everybody can do and muster up the courage to do, and I'm still trying to find that courage in myself. So I hope that they believe in themselves as much as I believe in them, as much as the people around them believe in them, and feel as loved and supported as they should be. And know that anything is possible when you put your mind to it. Chase what makes you happy.

LOREN: I love you guys. I keep saying that in all my Instagram and stuff. I don't use the word love a lot, but I've been using it very often. From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate each and every one of you that took the time to listen to my stuff and came out to see me perform, and I'm trying to show everyone what I have prepared next, so, hopefully, you guys share some of my excitement.

Knock2: To my fans, thank you for being a part of my journey. It truly means so much because aside from what you see and what platform I'm on, I'm honestly just like you guys, just trying to chase my dream and doing this, and I'm just really grateful and happy to just be myself, and you represent so much more than the music.

MILLI: I love you. I loved every single show that I went to, and I performed. Thank you for singing with me. Thank you for enjoying the shows with me. Thank you for dancing, for your screaming. Like, if I could hug everyone in my crowd, I would do it. Like a big group hug, but I think it'd become kind of like a mosh pit though.