Asian Acts Make History at Coachella
Photo Courtesy of Shruti Marada
88rising, the first label company to land an official performance slot at Coachella, dominated the first weekend of the festival with several history-making performances. One of the most notable performances featured South Korean soloist CL who reunited with her group 2NE1 in a suprise performance at the end of the show (pictured above).
April 22, 2022
After two years of canceled shows due to the pandemic, Coachella made its grand return to the desert last weekend with headline performances by Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, and The Weeknd. There were many performances, however, that you might be unfamiliar with, especially the many Asian acts that dominated the stage.
88rising, a multinational record label and media collective primarily focused on Asian artists, took the stage last weekend at the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio. Their “Head in the Clouds Forever” set, a nod to their festival held every year in Pasadena, was an 80-minute show that included performances from eight various Asian artists.
Derived from eighty-eight translating to “double happiness” in Chinese, 88rising houses a number of renowned Asian-American artists, such as R&B and trip-hop Japanese singer Joji and Indonesian rapper Rich Brian.
Not only was 88rising the first label company to land an official performance slot at the festival, but they also displayed several history-making performances. Jackson Wang, a rapper, singer, and dancer from Hong Kong, became the first Chinese artist to perform on the main stage at Coachella. Rich Brian and NIKI also made history, becoming the two first solo artists from Indonesia.
Young Indonesian rapper Warren Hue opened 88rising’s performance at Coachella, followed by 19-year-old Thai rapper Milli, South Korean singer-songwriter BIBI, and Japanese-American singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada. Following Utada, Jackson Wang, a solo artist as well as a member of the K-Pop boy band Got7, took the stage with an energetic performance filled with fiery stage presence and innovative choreographies.
I loved seeing all the Asian acts on the stage especially the vibe of the crowd. It’s not your typical concert where everyone knows all the lyrics to all the songs, but regardless everyone had a great time. — Shruti Marada
While this was enough to make the crowd go wild (although a considerable amount of people there probably hadn’t the faintest clue as to who these people were), South Korean singer and rapper CL blew everyone’s mind in a surprise performance with her group 2NE1. The reunion, which marked the K-Pop group’s first performance since they disbanded six years ago, practically broke the internet and became one of the biggest highlights in the festival’s history.
“I loved seeing all the Asian acts on the stage especially the vibe of the crowd. It’s not your typical concert where everyone knows all the lyrics to all the songs, but regardless everyone had a great time. In addition, some thing that really stood out was not only the music and vocals but also the performance as a whole. They had a lot of great dance numbers and visuals that I thought were really unique to the Head in the Clouds set versus other performances at Coachella,” said senior Shruti Marada, who attended the first weekend of the festival.
Clearly, every performance either made history or was a mesmerizing show. However, beyond the groundbreaking impact of 88rising’s set as a whole, many of the artists themselves highlighted the historical significance of their performances, emphasizing the uniqueness of 88rising’s multinational culture.
During Rich Brian’s solo performance, for example, Jakarta’s Monumen Nasional was projected as the backdrop on the big screens, commemorating the moment. NIKI sang Andra & the Backbone’s “Sempurna,” which is now also the first Indonesian song ever performed at Coachella.
“This song is for my family and my country,” she said at the beginning of her performance.
19-year-old Danupha “Milli” Khanatheerakul, who just became the first Thai soloist to perform at Coachella, also shared a slice of her culture, sparking instant international frenzy, especially back in her hometown. During her song ‘Mango Sticky Rice,’ the rapper munched on a bowl of mango sticky rice, a popular Thai dessert. Since the performance, orders for the sweet treat have more than tripled in Thailand and have even gained recognition from Thailand’s Cultural Promotion Department.
People these days have such a broad interest in music, ranging across different genres like country and rap. I feel that Coachella represents this well and after I saw the line-up, especially including a lot of my favorite Asian artists, I really wanted to go.
— Kaia Wolfe
Besides 88rising, many other notable Asian artists performed on other stages at the festival, several of them also making history. Epik High became the first Korean group invited back to perform at Coachella. Pinoy artist Beabadoobee became the youngest Filipina to perform at the festival. The Hu made their mark as the first band to represent Mongolia at Coachella. Grammy winner Arooj Aftab also made history as the first Pakistani artist to perform at the festival.
While many of the Asian acts who performed at Coachella this year were ‘firsts,’ other famous Asian stars who dominated the stage this year include Conan Gray, Rina Sawayama, Peggy Gou, and Japanese Breakfast.
Since Coachella is known for showcasing the nation’s most prominent artists and putting a spotlight on rising stars, it is only natural for history to be made at this iconic showcase, especially as the festival becomes more diverse each year. Giving Asian creators the opportunity to perform at one of the largest and most popular music festivals in the world serves as a breakthrough moment for many artists who might never get the chance anywhere else or who usually might not be as established as most mainstream artists.
“People these days have such a broad interest in music, ranging across different genres like country and rap. I feel that Coachella represents this well and after I saw the line-up, especially including a lot of my favorite Asian artists, I really wanted to go. To have so many people from around the world performing in one place was truly an amazing experience,” said senior Kaia Wolfe, who also attended the first weekend of Coachella.
As Coachella made history this year with its most diverse line-up yet, hopefully this will encourage more music festivals across the nation to promote diversity and to continue featuring artists from Asia, as well as all of the different nations from around the world who are ready to change the scene and introduce a new generation of music.
