5 things we loved about the Head in the Clouds festival in Pasadena on Saturday

As singer-songwriter Mxmtoon reached the end of “Sad Disco” she looked, in contrast to her song’s title, absolutely delighted to be on stage at record label 88rising’s Head in the Clouds festival in Pasadena on Saturday.

“Being at this festival means so much to me,” the 22-year-old from Oakland told the crowd before her at the Double Happiness second stage. “I remember 88rising being such a huge part of my life.

“I remember hoping I could one day be up on a stage like that,” she said. “To be surrounded by people who are so proud of their culture. To be surrounded by people who love that music means so much to me.”

That sentiment felt true to performers and fans alike at Brookside at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, the first of two days of Head in the Clouds festival 2022. It’s wonderful to have this, they all said, because there is no other place like this.

88rising, which is sometimes referred to as a music collective, founded Head in the Clouds in 2018 as a festival to celebrate Asian musical artists from the United States and around the world.

Now in its fourth year, and second at the Rose Bowl, the festival also includes a wide range of Asian food, thanks to the curation of the 626 Night Market, which has its own fanbase from across the country and around the world.

As we wandered the festival grounds on a day that went from a sweltering mid-afternoon to comfortably breezy at night fall, these were the five things that caught our attention.

Laid-back grooves: The R&B singer Keshi wasn’t supposed to play Head in the Clouds this year, but when Indonesian star Niki had to drop out after contracting COVID, he took her spot on the bill and ended up drawing the biggest crowd of the day.

It’s easy to see why the Vietnamese-American singer had such an effect on fans. His music is lush and romantic, full of longing and love. And songs such as “Somebody” and “Beside You” had the crowd sang loudly along to every word. (That he is objectively a very handsome young fella surely doesn’t hurt either.)

Singer-songwriter Joji also often works in a mellow, lo-fi R&B groove. As the final act on Saturday, though, he debuted his Yebi Labs DJ set surrounded by a handful of lab partners.

The electronic dance jams gave the crowd their biggest jolt of energy of the day, and, to finish off his set, Joji walked out from behind the DJ decks to close the night with a handful of more mellow grooves including “Slow Dancing In The Dark.”

K-pop grads: While boy bands and girl groups were absent on the festival stages, a pair of graduates-gone-solo were on deck.

South Korean pop star Chungha, who was launched through a TV competition to form the girl group I.O.I, was a highlight early in the day. Her upbeat pop songs, crisp choreography with backing dancers, and attention to fans — twice she stopped to sign fans’ albums — hinted at the K-pop training she’d received in the past.

And she had some diehard fans in the crowd too, including one dude who lost his mind with each new song and walked away at the end of the set with tears streaming down his face.

Korean-American rapper Jay Park shared a similar background, having performed in the late aughts as leader of the boy band 2PM. Like Chungha, you could tell just by the quality and professionalism of his performance that he learned well from his time in the K-pop industry.

Rock ‘n’ rap: One of my highlights of the day arrived when Milli strutted on stage wearing a fluffy white cloud — hat? wig? — on her head. The Thai rapper was also part of 88rising’s showcase on the main stage at Coachella this year and for good reason: she’s got a fun, fresh style on stage and personality aplenty. Definitely one to watch.

Rapper Audrey Nuna and singer-songwriter Deb Never shared a set on the second stage, both of them backed by the same band. It was one of the hardest rocking performances of a day in which quieter grooves dominated and very fun to watch.

Singer-songwriter Yeek also fronted a band, and his set was another of the most enjoyable, though his crowd suffered by the competition from Jay Park on the main stage.

Good eats: Head in the Clouds featured all the usual festival food booths, but what made it special was the presence of 626 Night Market and a dozen or so of its favorite modern Asian food vendors, which thanks to my pal Richard Guzman’s preview led me to some delicious dishes.

I arrived planning to hit Tokyo Yakisoba but the line was ridiculous, the longest outside of the Boba Guys, which had a 30-minute wait. Chimmelier’s Korean fried chicken sandwich made for a tasty substitute, the fiery orange spices on the chicken mixed with a pop of purple from the pickled slaw for a day-glo delight.

It was a big ol’ sandwich too, so I swapped a chunk-a-chicken for one of photographer Drew Kelley’s pork belly sliders on bao buns from Tao’s Bao. Glazed in a red braising sauce with peanuts, pickled mustard green, and a garlic peanut sauce, it was another three bites of heaven.

Friends and fans: Photographer Drew and I were both struck by how friendly and laid-back the crowd at Head in the Clouds was on Saturday. Yes, it was hotter than my Korean fried sandwich, but people just chilled in the heat, having a good time, often in large groups of friends, some of which wore cute matching outfits.

Andie Pangan of Torrance and Corrine Parco of Tracy, roommates at Cal State Sacramento, from which they just graduated, posed for photos in front of one of a handful of giant inflatable cloud emojis on the festival grounds.

“We love seeing the representation,” Parco said of the artists on the bill, though the same might apply to the fans on the field.

“There’s a sense of belonging,” Pangan said of the music, though again, that fit the feeling all across the festival too.