MANILA, Philippines—88rising’s Head In The Clouds Music & Arts Festival descended in Manila for the first time in 2022, with electrifying performances from headliners NIKI, Rich Brian, Joji, Jackson Wang, eaJ, YOASOBI, and Jessi, over two days at SM Festival Grounds Parañaque City.
The festival featured homecoming performances of artists with Filipino descent GUAPDAD 4000 and Manila Grey, who were joined by hometown heroes Manila Killa, Denise Julia, Zack Tabudlo, and SB19 while Korean-American rapper Jessi got in on the act with a quick return to Manila following her solo show in September. Atarashii Gakko! BIBI, Elephante, MILLI, Spence Lee, Stephanie Poetri, Warren Hue, and others also made their debuts in The Philippines for the enthusiastic crowd.
The Highlights from the first day of Head In The Clouds Manila included notable performances by Filipino artists with Manila-native singer-songwriter Zack Tabudlo’s early slot getting the local crowd warmed up and right in the feels playing his hit song “Give Me Your Forever”.
Image courtesy of 88Rising
While the clouds lingered low at the SM Festival Grounds, R&B duo Manila Grey performed their 2019 hit song “Silver Skies” alongside Filipino rapper AL James to brighten up the stage and lift the mood. The sensational Filipino boyband SB19, who performed at the major festival in the Philippines for the first time, made sure to keep the energy high before sundown with hits like “What,” “Where you at (WYAT),” “Bazinga,” and more. Manila Killa gave the crowd a memorable homecoming set while waving the country’s flag.
Day one’s celebration was dominated by the 88rising rooster of artists. The spectacle of summertime vibe filled with energy and elegance were encapsulated through the performances of the Indonesian-born Warren Hue and Stephanie Poetri, while MILLI teased and rocked the crowd at the SM Festival Grounds with her chic and spirited set.
Image courtesy of 88Rising
Another highlight of the night was the return of Korean-American rapper Jessi to the Philippines as she picked up where she left off with a buzzing set featuring the hugely successful track “ZOOM”, and further hits like “What Type of X” and “NUNU NANA”.
The crowd stayed on for the anticipated performances of headliners Joji and Rich Brian and they certainly didn’t disappoint with voices raised to the skies as the former’s global hit “Glimpse Of Us” ringed through the festival grounds.
Rich Brian hit the ground running with his latest track “Vivid” and shot the energy through the roof with “TOKYO DRIFT FREESTYLE” and the viral
MILLI may have brought out a cardboard cutout of Jackson Wang onstage while she performed “Mind Games”, but the real Jackson Wang eventually came on with a superstar showcase to close an incredible first day of the inaugural Head In The Clouds Manila, blessing the crowd with tracks from the Magic Man album such as “Cruel”, “Blow” and “Come Alive” which was premiered day before the festival.
Image courtesy of 88Rising
Second day got off to a flying start with Pinay R&B star Denise Julia, one of the opening acts of the day slaying on stage with killer moves performing her viral hit “NVMD”. Filipino pride continued in full flow with GUAPDAD 4000’s homecoming performance, which also saw Toronto-native Pressa who is of Filipino-Jamaican descent join the rapper onstage.
The festival kicked on with the South Korean rising star BIBI’s incredible showing featuring tracks from her latest album Lowlife Princess: Noir such as “Blade” and BIBI’s biggest hit ‘The Weekend.” ’The crowd was then treated to a nostalgia-inducing set of the festival’s special guest ZEDD playing all-timers like “Stay The Night” and “Clarity” that kept hearts racing for the epic finale to come.
Image courtesy of 88Rising
The Indonesia’s certified superstar NIKI was given the torch to light up the stage one final time and belted one hit after another, drawing out a massive sing-along session for her upbeat tracks “Lowkey”, “High School in Jakarta” and global sensation “Every Summertime” while also pulling heart strings with the ballad “Oceans & Engines”.
The R&B singer delivered a fitting performance to conclude an amazing two-day festival jam-packed with music from Asia’s best pool of talents which also featured a host of other artists including Adawa, Atarashii Gakko! YOASOBI, DJ E-Man, Spence Lee, Akini Jing, eaJ and Elephante.
Head in the Clouds Manila is proudly presented by Globe Telecom and its Major sponsor GCash. Other sponsors include GOMO, Johnnie Walker, AirAsia, Heineken as well as Riot Games’ Valorant.
On ground sponsors include Y.OU. Beauty and Vida. Media partners include Wonder, Pie Channel, MYX, TFC, TikTok Philippines, Kumu and Viber. And their food partners, Ebi 10, OnlyPans, Kampai, Overdoughs, Elait, Pocofino, Rub Ribs, Happy Truck, and our official bar partner Nokal.
Day One
Adawa
Atarashii Gakko!
Jackson Wang
Jessi
JinxZhou
Joji
MANILA GREY
Manila Killa
MILLI
Rich Brian
SB19
Stephanie Poetri
Warren Hue
YOASOBI
Zack Tabudlo
Day Two
Akini Jing
BIBI
Denise Julia
DJ E-MAN
eaJ
Elephante
GUAPDAD 4000
NIKI
Spence Lee
ZEDD