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Emerson Unger

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Barbie On The Big Screen Delivers On Being Clever And Entertaining

by Emerson Unger
written by Emerson Unger

 

She’s a Barbie girl in the Barbie World. Life in plastic—its fantastic. Yes, Barbie on the big screen is finally here! Considered one of the most anticipated films of 2023, Margot Robbie steps into the iconic heels of “typical” Barbie for this one-of-a-kind film about Mattel’s legendary toy doll.

Now, bringing Barbie to the big screen has not been easy. The film has had multiple writers and directors and even at one point had Amy Schumer playing Barbie, but all of that changed when Margot Robbie was cast in the lead role in 2019. The momentum kept growing when it was announced that Oscar darling and “Ladybird” director Greta Gerwig would take on the daunting task of bringing Barbie to life with the help from her longtime partner, Noah Baumbach, co-screenwriting with her. Subsequently, the excitement for the film spiked again when Ryan Gosling signed onto the film in 2022 to play Ken. The film is also produced by British film producer David Jonathan Heyman, who brought the Harry Potter film series to life. Margot Robbie is also listed as a producer as well.

The film tells the story of “typical” Barbie, played by Robbie, who sets out on a quest for the real world after experiencing “being less than perfect” in perfect Barbie Land. Accompanying her on this journey of self-discovery is her longtime boyfriend Ken, played by Gosling. The film also stars America Ferrera as a Mattel employee who helps Barbie in the real world and Will Ferrell as the over-the-top Mattel’s CEO. Likewise, Kate McKinnon plays Weird Barbie, while Issa Rae plays President Barbie and  Simu Liu as another Ken. Rounding out the cast Rhea Perlman plays Ruth Handler, the creator of the Barbie doll.

The film is slightly in the vein of campy like other toy movies, in which an iconic toy brands breaching the big screen, such as Transformers and the Lego movies. However, this film, with Gerwig at the helm, comes out swinging right from the beginning being extremely feminist centric, but in a tongue and cheek way giving Barbie the credit for solving feminism and females’ issues in society. #JustJoking #JustNotInTheRealWorld While in Barbie Land, like Beyoncé sings, “Who runs the world? Girls!,” the real world hasn’t really embraced all that girls can be like it is in Barbie Land.

In Barbie Land we find a Barbie president, Barbie doctors, Barbie astronauts, Barbie reporters, and all the Barbie’s own their own dream homes, while Kens seem to be OK on the beach, not surfing, not as lifeguards, but just hanging out on the beach. Every day seems great until typical Barbie has an existential crisis and realizes she’s not perfect. Her shower is cold, she has bad breath, her milk is expired, and her toast is burnt, but worst of all her feet are flat and she discovers she has cellulite after falling off her roof all while obsessing over death. It’s at this time that she enlists the help from Weird Barbie, who guides her to the real world. In the real world she realizes that all the dreams that little girls had and who they wanted to be were very far from the truth. Donning her iconic rollerblades with canon toe she happens upon a construction site expecting to find hard-core female construction workers only to be mocked and cat called. She is shocked that the real world is a lot less female friendly than Barbie Land.

Upon her arrival into the real world, Mattel is alerted to the situation and acts quickly given what happened to Skipper several years prior in the Florida Keys. Mattel quickly tries to get Barbie back into the box but being a quick one she escapes into the care of a Mattel employee, who played with her as a child. With Barbie on the run, the Mattel employee and her daughter join Barbie in return to Barbie Land only to realize that Ken had returned before them and brought back a concept called patriarchy, which saw all the Barbies give up their power in order to appease their oppressors a.k.a. the Ken dolls. Barbies dream House is turned into mojo dojo casa house and is full of horses and beer drinking boys. It is at this time that Barbie hatches a plan to release her fellow dolls from their brainwashing and to take back Barbie Land. Not long after their plan is hatched, Mattel employees venture into Barbie land as well. The Barbies work together to free Barbie land from patriarchy and to return it to its previous prosperity. Upon successfully doing so Barbie is revisited by Ruth the creator of the Barbie doll. After speaking with Ruth, Barbie realizes that she wants more from this life then Barbie Land can offer and she sets out to find it.

The strength of the film comes from its clever messaging. Its tongue and cheek depiction of what we would like reality to be a.k.a. Barbie Land and what it really is– the real world, insightfully comments on humans’ innate ability to better themselves. The film is cleverly written for an open-minded audience seeking more than mere mindless entertainment but the movie is packaged in a way that is just the opposite i.e., a pure spectacle of cheerful escapism. For example, while moviegoers may be frustrated at the depiction of Ken as an over the top clingy, whiny, complaining character, who lacks depth, it is obvious when you take a step back that his character is an homage to that one-dimensional female character, seen so often in film, who lacks depth that would resemble a real human being. The cleverness of the film continues and its campy exploration of bringing fun whimsical Barbie notions into the real world, such as joking about how Mattel is led only by men even though it is a brand that is female centric. It just goes to show you how Mattel is not only willing to poke fun at itself but to be the butt of jokes. The movie also tackles troubling issues like how Barbie is designed in an unrealistic way with the perfect proportions that no woman can actually obtain. There also is a joke mid film delivered by the narrator played by the one and only Helen Mirren that jokes about Margot Robbie’s casting that is sure to get an audience to laugh. There are also other heartwarming moments like America Ferrera’s speech to the Barbies, in which she highlights the struggles of women and their inability to accept themselves in their quest for acceptance. There’re so many poignant moments in this film however it does seem that there is a bit too many messages leaving the film slightly convoluted at times. That being said the film is visually a feast for the eyes and certainly entertaining when it comes to comedy. It does what a movie should do; it entertains and inspires and that is why it’s so amazing to see Barbie on the big screen in this way.

Barbie hit theaters on July 21st, 2023 in US theaters.

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K-pop Sensation ‘Twice’ Make History At MetLife Stadium In The New York Tristate Area

by Emerson Unger
written by Emerson Unger

Courtesy of Instagram

Fresh off their performance in front of the nation on NBC’s The Today Show, K-pop mega girl group, Twice, took their charms to MetLife Stadium for a very special concert. Making history, the girls were the first K-pop female group to hold a concert at the legendary MetLife Stadium. Twice wowed their super fans, ONCE, with their New York Metro area stop on their 5th world tour ‘Ready To Be” on July 6th, 2023.

 

The concert kicked off with a short video of the girls. Then in front of a packed stadium, Twice set it off with their song, “Set me Free.” The girls pounced on the stage and grabbed everyone’s attention as they were clad in black and white outfits with sparkly silvery details. The outfits the members wore all were shorts with the exception of our Miss Independent Renaissance Woman herself, Chaeyoung, who opted for pants. They followed the song up with their mega dance hit, “I Can’t Stop Me,” that threw their fans into a frenzy. For their third song, Twice went hard for their song, “Go Hard.” With yellow, orange and red backdrops the girls had black silhouettes driving the song into a hard-hitting dimension. It was clear that the leader of the group, Jihyo, was feeling the song. Not only were her vocals on point but her moves transcended her physical body. With a smile exuding from her it was clear that she was sharing her soul and energy with the audience. Not to be outdone, Nayeon, the groups eldest member, flexed her vocal prowess hitting and holding high notes for this powerful rendition of “Go Hard.”

 

Just when it seemed like, Twice was hitting a crescendo the girls through the concert in the opposite direction slowing things down and sharing a chillaxed vibe for their cool song, “More & More.” For this song, the girls climbed onto ladders that made triangles, which could be rolled around the stage. With colorful lights projected around them and onto the white ladders it was like Twice was riding a rainbow.  The main dancer of the group, Momo, delighted fans with an iconic dance break before the girls headed down stage to perform their title track, “Moonlight Sunrise,” a song which was inspired by fans. As the girls got closer to their fans moving down stage the aesthetics of twice is light sticks changing color became almost like sparkling diamonds against the setting sun. The girls stayed near their fans downstage as they powered through another epic performance, which had fans screaming and singing along with the girls. Without taking a break the girls dove directly into their song, “Brave.” Again, Jihyo kept killing it when it came to the performance. During her solo she hit the high notes and held them. Then the girls took a well-deserved water break to chat with fans. During the fan chat they asked what was your favorite song of the previous songs that they just saying. They tried to quiz the audience and decipher from the audience response what song they like the best. During this time, Chaeyoung admitted that this was one of the first times they perform their song “Brave” during the daylight outside. She joked that she missed performing it in the dark because it was edgier and cooler that way. It was also during this time that Nayeon teased the audience and wanted them to show how much they love Twice by singing along with the girls in a call and response manner to the song “Moonlight Sunrise.”  Jihyo followed that up by asking the audience to do a ginormous wave that took over the whole entire stadium. The girls expressed how hot it was, but how happy they were to see their fans in the daylight. It was at this moment that Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Jihyo and Chaeyoung stayed on the stage while the other Twice members gently disappeared. Right before going off stage. Jihyo joked that there was something special coming but the audience might have already guessed what it was or could’ve looked it up online.

 

As the foursome walked off stage, the stage became dark. When light reappeared, the group’s lead rapper, Dahyun, appeared sitting at a piano dressed in a flowing gorgeous white with blue accent dress. She looks like a beautiful aqua Angel as she played the piano and sang, Colbie Caillat’s “Try.” Continuing on and the girl’s individual solo songs for this site was the Maknae of the group, Tzuyu. Performing mid stage in a gorgeous jumpsuit she busted out moves and even bent down on one knee for her rendition of Charlie Puth’s “Done for Me.” Up Next was the gorgeous visual of Twice, Sana. Wearing a red collared long sleeve shirt/tunic with black tights and a bodysuit she charmed the audience with her verison of Dua Lipa’s “New Rules.” Dancing her way into the fans’ hearts main dancer of the group, Momo, busted out on stage wearing a sparkling jersey top and shorts for her rendition of Beyoncé’s “Move.” During mid song she changed everything up, shedding her jersey revealing her crop top and shorts she took to a pole. High above the audience she swirled around the pole as if she was channeling her inner J Lo circa her Super Bowl performance. Closing out these solo stages in this set was Mina covering Ariana Grande’s “7 rings.” She strutted and showed off her dance moves in a white cropped sparkly top with denim shorts and high thigh bright pink boots. As she danced around her dancers shot fake dollar bills into the sky. At the end of this solo set a video appeared on the screen of the girls singing a minimalistic version of their big hit, “Feel Special.”

 

After the video, Live musicians in the band appeared on stage and began to play this song, “Feel Special.” Twice then reappeared on stage rocking new outfits and belting out the song. At the conclusion of this song, the girls jumped right into their song, “Cry for Me,” before delivering a rock rendition of their big hit, “FANCY.” For “FANCY,” the stage was bathed in pink with fiery unapologetic hyper feminine energy. To close out the set before the break, the girls delivered a colorful beautiful almost prismic stage for their song, “The Feels.” During the song images of the girls singing live captivated the audience with gorgeous colorful images. At the conclusion of the song, lead rapper, Dahyun joked with the audience. She teased saying could you say that we’ve done something new for this concert? She confessed is the first time that twice has ever used a live band. She shared in her excitement with how Twice has evolved as artists, now incorporating live instrumentals. The girls quickly exited the stage as it became dark again.

 

When the lights came up on stage, Chaeyoung was sitting alone on a wooden barstool with guitar in hand. She looked like a little red riding hood and a beautiful simple dress with red details. Her sweetness exuded while she sang, “My Guitar.” Up next, Jihyo took to the stage for her solo performance of nightmare with haunting rock vocals and dressed all in black she exuded emotion. Delivering a 180, Jeongyeon changed up the vibe completely in a bright green jumpsuit. She brought down the house with fun vibes and positive energy as she covered Lizzo’s “Juice.” In a iconic certainly memorable moment she even attempted to play a recorder channeling Lizzo’s flute playing prowess. Certainly was a hilarious and fun uplifting moment that made the audience giggle with glee. Rounding out this solo stage set was the one the only Nayeon. With deliciously decadent filled to the top with confectionery pop, she belted out her hit song “Pop.” Was clear that the audience was feeling her vibe and returning her fun energy with confetti flying everywhere. Another video Break gave the girls a chance to change things up. When they returned the stage they performed, “Who Am I?” and “Queen of Hearts,” before heading into a medley of their biggest hits.

 

Clad in denim outfits the girls kicked off their iconic hits medley said with their monster hit, “Yes and Yes.” They followed it up with, “What is Love,” and “Cheer Up.” When it was time to sing, “Likey” the group started the song from Dahyun and Chaeyoung rap section before letting Mina belts out her solo bridge and Momo did her iconic dance break for the song. The girls went on to perform their songs” Knock Knock,” “Scientist” and “Heart Shaker,” which concluded with the girls jumping up and down with glee just as they did in the music video for the song.

Courtesy of Instagram

After the medley the girls took a moment to acknowledge the history that was being made at the concert. They admitted it was a little over a year ago that they re-signed with their label JYP and now they are playing at one of the biggest stadiums in North America. They thanked the fans for such a historic moment and beautiful memory. As the sun had finally set twice kick things into high gear for their last couple of songs.

 

As the show drew to a close, they treated the audience to “Alcohol-Free” and“Dance the Night Away.” For these two songs, the girls really amped up the energy as if to say we know we’re coming down the homestretch and so we’re just gonna take it home for the win. The concert hit a crescendo when twice performed their megahit from last summer, “Talk That Talk.” Wearing cream outfits lights around with the girls that reflected with rainbows on giant screens. The stage ended with fireworks being shot off right behind the girls before they disappeared backstage.

 

As the girls were transitioning into a new set the fans had a chance to interact with one another. Projected on big screens a dance battle was set. The audience was challenged to show off their best iconic Twice dance moves. Whether it was fans competing with themselves or fans competing with other fans, it was clear that everyone was winners as the audience became so hyped cheering everyone on. Obviously, there were some fans who clearly knew all the Twice moves to the point that you could swear they were JYP trainees. Then the girls reappeared on stage. Twice were decked out in Twice T-shirts with childhood photos of them laid out in a newspaper format projected behind them as they performed their song, “When We Were Kids.” The sweet sentiments continued as the girls finished the show with the song, “CRAZY STUPID LOVE.” They said goodbye to fans each girl took a moment to acknowledge how much they loved the fandom. Again, they acknowledged it was one year ago that they signed the contract and then they found themselves performing at MetLife Stadium. Sana noted how amazing it was to see their fans in the daylight and in the Moonlight as the concert spend several hours while the sun set in the New York sky. It was this moment in which Momo took the time to tease the fans about Twice is subunit made up of Sana, Mina, and Momo. Now the subunit did not sing any of their new music which will be released later this summer, but they did give a sneak peek to a dance move that will accompany their new song. Jihyo Remarque just how proud she was of this new subunit. The girls then took a moment to do a K-pop classic concert staple, take a picture with their fans. They grab the camera and hand the girls huddled together with all their fans in attendance behind them to snap several photos and savor this historic moment.

 

Though the concert was unofficially over, Twice was not ready to leave their fans empty-handed. Pulling out a giant wheel, they left their encore performance in the hands of fate. The wheel displayed some of Twice his classic songs that the girls hadn’t had a moment to perform yet. Getting into the vibe Jeongyeon couldn’t help but spin the wheel in between taking photos with her camera. The first song the giant wheel landed on was “Scandal” followed up by twice is iconic song “Like OOH-AHH.” It was during these two songs that the girls ran around waving at fans trying to savor every moment and draw them closer. After both songs, Chaeyoung couldn’t help but spin the wheel for the final time. She acknowledged she wanted to land on the song, “Firework,” but kept landing on songs that twice had just performed. But the third time was the charm, and she got her wish. Twice finished out the show by performing their song “Firework.”

 

The girls took a few moments before heading off stage to savor the moment for one last chance with their fans. The last to leave the stage looked like it would be Jeongyeon until she ran into Dahyun, who pushed her back on stage. The two laughed and giggled and proceeded to head off stage for the final time before Dahyun turned around and promised that Twice would be back to New York and motioned as if to ask for the fans to wait for their return.

 

Twice made up of the nine members of now take a quick break. They will return to the stage in September in London to kick off their international European leg of their tour. That performance will take place on September 7 at London’s iconic O2 Arena.

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Xing Fu Tang’s Handmade Artisan Boba Draws A Crowd At 88rising’s ‘Head In The Clouds New York’ festival

by Emerson Unger
written by Emerson Unger

 

 

88rising’s first-ever Head in the Clouds New York festival kicked off this past weekend and the music and the merch weren’t the only things that were super-hot. If you were fortunate enough to grab a ticket to the festival, you probably noticed a very, very, long line behind the stadium near Xing Fu Tang’s pop-up Boba cafe. Now, it’s not easy to draw a crowd especially if you’re far from the front row, but that didn’t seem to hinder those who sought out high-quality artisan Boba. Xing Fu Tang USA CEO, Andrew Chuang, couldn’t deny the desire of the crowd, acknowledging, “It’s a little bit out of the way from the main entrance, but we’re still getting a ton of traffic over here. It’s great!”

As a part of 88rising’s carefully curated and highly selective food lineup, Xing Fu Tang, “Taiwan’s No.1 Boba,” is all about the carefully crafted handmade Boba. Chuang explains, “we want to put together the best food possible. So we could get store-bought Boba and not brew the tea fresh, and have it sitting all day, but then the customers would get a worse product and that is definitely what we don’t want.” He adds, “everyone at our stores loves and drinks our products… So, we don’t want to put out something that we don’t want to have ourselves.”

Festival goers had the opportunity to enjoy three different types of Xing Fu Tang handmade Teas: Brown Sugar Boba, Classic Black Milk Boba Tea, and Mango Passionfruit Green Tea.  Each drink is hand-crafted and made with the utmost attention to detail and love. For Xing Fu Tang’s signature Brown Sugar Boba, Chuang reveals this Boba starts with Xing Fu Tang actually making their own fresh brown sugar and Boba daily in-stores, however with the limitations of a kitchen at a stadium, the team had to get creative in order to keep the integrity and not compromise the quality of their signature drinks. He admits, “We’re cooking it off-site at our stores and then I’m having people drive it in…So this has been cooked fresh, like every two hours or so.” After the Boba is delivered it is kept warm, soft and chewy by slowly curating in a warm wok. Chuang confesses, “we really pride ourselves on the texture of our Boba. So, from start to finish, everything that we put into it is what gets us that texture. I think that’s the real thing that sets our Boba apart.” The Boba is then ladled into a cup, dashed with milk and a cheese bomb foam is laid on top before it is torched.  Yes, torched. Chuang explains, “we torch the brown sugar so you get like little kind of candy caramelized bits of sugar in the drink too. So a lot of sugar, but it’s very good.”

Apart from the Boba, Chuang admits the partnership between 88rising’s Head in the Clouds New York festival and Xing Fu Tang is a match made in heaven for him and his team. “I’ve become a big K-pop fan,” he professes. “I actually bought VIP passes, two-day passes, before we were tapped to be a vendor.” He adds, “I was really excited to see ITZY. I’ve been listening to Rich Brian since before he changed [his name and] … I’ve been working out to XG songs.” He also admits he was excited to see DPR LIVE and DPR IAN as well as NIKI. Seizing the opportunity to see some of the most talented artists on stage he divulges, it wasn’t easy, but “I’ve worked out a system with my staff where I can go off and see the people that I want to see and they can go off and see the people that they want to see. We’ll just be a little bit more hectic during those times.”

Clearly, Chuang and his team have a lot of passion. Whether it is for music or Boba tea, they treasure the sweetness in life. Chuang humbly admits, “we just want to put out something that is Boba for foodies. [For] people who really care about the ingredients.” He stresses, “you know, fresh ingredients, organic ingredients, the best quality that we can get and just putting that into a really tasty Boba drink.”

Xing Fu Tang offers pick up, delivery and in-store orders at its three locations. Those locations are in Flushing, on St. Marks and in Hudson yards. To find out more about “Taiwan’s No.1 Boba,” check out xingfutang.com.

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88rising Handpicks The ‘Rokstars’ Of Korean Fried Chicken For Its ‘Head In The Clouds Festival’

by Emerson Unger
written by Emerson Unger

Head In The Clouds New York 2023

88rising knows how to deliver, from rockstars on the stage to rockstars in the kitchen. If you were lucky enough to snag a ticket to their inaugural Head in the Clouds New York festival you would have seen long lines with a lot of smiling faces carrying multicultural cuisine, especially Korean fried chicken, thanks in part to the team’s carefully curated food and beverage lineup. One of the true shining stars of this select group of foodies that was a hit with festival goers was Rokstar Chicken, which reimagines Korean fried chicken

Now, Korean fried chicken has been around for decades, but Rokstar Chicken is a “Korean flavor with a New York attitude” fried chicken, said owner and founder Mark Lee. Pulling inspiration from his own life for Rokstar’s signature style, Lee acknowledged “I’m Korean American. I came here [to New York] when I was 11 and the way I wanted to really showcase…Korean fried chicken was more in of a New York way.”

As to what exactly is Korean fried chicken with a “New York attitude,” Lee explained “it’s crispy, you know, New Yorkers, we are aggressive, but we want the highest quality of everything. That’s what we’re trying to do— JAM PACKED flavors with high quality ingredients.” He described, “we’re trying to go for really good service, amazing food—pretty fast.” Lee added, that the R.O.K. in Rokstar stands for the Republic of Korea.

Whether it was rain or sun the crowds definitely lined up to enjoy this unique taste of Korea. The masses seemed to be craving Rokstar’s “boneless chicken and chicken sandwich,” Lee confessed. He also noted that “they really love our soy garlic flavor, Korean sweet chili, and honey butter fries.” Despite the long lines and success, Rokstar’s beginnings were humble. Lee revealed that the food chain was born during the pandemic when many businesses were either closed or closing up shop. Hearing his calling after running a dessert café for 12 years, Lee returned to his Korean roots and picked a strategic way to kick off his new venture. Thinking outside of the box, he unconventionally opened his new restaurant inside of a Food Bazaar supermarket. Lee remarks, ” with the COVID pandemic happening, I understood that a consumer’s behavior is when it rains, they go to the market, when it’s sunny they go to the supermarket, so then I wanted to make sure to be… [where the] traffic [was]. So, we started with the [Food] Bazaar supermarket.” He admits, “we started small, [but] we’re very excited… [and] we look to expand…it’s our time to reach out and be at the crowd.”

Courtesy of Rokstar Chicken

Lee envisions Rokstar Chicken being the Korean fried chicken of Shake Shack, having mastered and shaped the concept of fast-casual now dining with high-quality ingredients and great service, all without losing the significance of his food. “The goal has always been simple and clear, continuing to introduce and share Korean culture with the world through the best way possible, food!” As for what is next on the horizon, Lee confessed, “I would like to get into CitiField [or] Yankee Stadium to represent our culture and our style of food.” If Rokstar’s popularity at Head in the Clouds New York festival is any indication of success, it’s clear Lee has certainly hit a home run.

Rokstar Chicken offers pick-up, delivery, and in-store orders at its three locations. Those locations are in Harlem, Long Island City, and Douglaston. To find out more about their “made fresh for every order” offerings check out rokstarchicken.com.

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Rapper MILLI Talks About Marking History, Her Process & What Is Next On The Horizon

by Emerson Unger
written by Emerson Unger

PhotoBy@deaniechen

Making history is nothing new for Thai rapper, MILLI. This young and vibrant, but seasoned performer has graced many stages from the Head In The Clouds Los Angeles Music Festival to the Coachella stage. Now, it might seem that she wouldn’t get “wowed” often given her extensive experience, but that was not the case recently in New York.

When she took to the stage  she was certainly stun by the crowd’s energy. She recalls, “Wow, it’s amazing right now.” She adds, “It is my number one crowd, the best. Everybody just responding… this is like wild, crazy. I’m so happy to be here.” She explains, “everybody just screaming [or] singing.” Acknowledging that singing along to her music is not easy, she joked, “if they can sing! Because I rap in Thai a lot.” She also noticed a special group of fans in the crowd singing along that day saying, “for the Mirror Mirror [song]… there was one group of teenage boys.” She was so shocked by their enthusiasm and passion for her music, she remarked, “I have to run into them again. It’s like saying thank you so much because this means a lot to me.” For MILLI her fans mean everything. She explains, their love feeds her soul. “As an artist, I have energy when my crowd has energy…they send [it] to me [and I] give it back more [to them]” She says.

As for where her music comes from, MILLI gives credit to many things that inspire her to create melodies. She states, “Everything, you know. I love to watch memes… from my friends, people around…[and] when I have a good mental conflict with someone, even my mom.” Now, MILLI can speak many languages. She is known to rap in Thai, English, Japanese and trying for even more, but when it comes to writing her music she remarks that “I don’t hear languages,” but instead hears rhythms before rhymes. She explains, “For me, I feel like I’m a musician… I heard the melody and I can sing.” That being said she knows her biggest enemy in the studio is “pressure” and that is why she prefers to collaborate with others. “I don’t want to write things alone. I want to have my friends, my team, because… sometimes I just think thinking about things too much, you know, overthinking.  And I just want someone who’s not a musician to stop me.” Collaboration is key for MILLI, she has so many artists she’d love to work with. She cites, “Tyler the Creator, Doja Cat [and ] if I can only make Rihanna come back… comeback to the music industry.”

As for new music, MILLI has big plans on the horizon. However, for 2023, she is thinking of a single and then an album next year saying “maybe just a single collaboration featuring with artists like Korean Japanese [artist]. Oh, I’m a spoiler now… with the album-maybe next year.” Noting that she still has one more year of university still so she is having to balance a lot.

Being so young and so talented means that MILLI will have many years to express herself as an artist and develop her craft. However, she remarks that self-discovery is a big interest for her no matter how daunting. She says, “I’m scared, sometimes, as scared [as] I’m [I am] going to figure[it] out, but I got my team. I got my family.”  One thing that MILLI does know about herself is her taste palette, joking in true MILLI fashion she says, “I’m Thai. But I don’t eat spicy that much. But I love it sometimes. I don’t like it.”

It was just announced that MILLI will be returning to Head In The Clouds Los Angeles Music Festival in August 2023. The Head In The Clouds Los Angeles Music Festival runs from August 5th-6th 2023. This year will be the festival’s 5th anniversary.

 

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XG Makes Their US debut At ‘Head In The Clouds Music and Arts Festival’ New York

by Emerson Unger
written by Emerson Unger

XG has finally come stateside! Radio fave an uber popular girl group, XG, finally landed in America for their first ever north America performance and they did it at 88rising’s inaugural Head In The Clouds Music and Arts Festival in New York. The group, which is comprised of Jurin, Chisa, Cocona, Hinata, Maya, Juria and Harvey was ready for their first ever US performance.

On a gorgeous Sunday, the stage was set for a dynamic performance. Their fans were cheering, X-G! X-G! X-G! so loudly it could be heard outside of the Forest Hills Stadium. The girls walked out wearing white and black suits with sparkly details. They had gorgeous boots and hair to match. They performed their songs,”Tippy Toes” and “Mascara” before taking a break to engage with fans.

During the chat, the girls expressed how honored they were to be performing at such an inaugural event. The girls also showed their individual personalities and charms along with having some fun with the crowd. Jurin joked, “What’s Up New York?1?” To which the crowd screamed, leaving her shocked which was evident by her facial response. The girls went on to say “we are just so happy to share this moment with you all.” They promised an exciting performance before a video was played.

After the video, the next series of songs saw the groups break up into units covering some of their favorite tunes. First up was rappers Harvey and Maya who returned to the stage to cover “Two Tens.” The girls were clad in blue and red Louis Vuitton tops with baggy pants as well as pigtails and ponytails.  Next up was Jurin and Cocona who performed a cover of “I Came to Party.” Rounding out the set was Chisa, Juria and Hinata, who covered Justin Bieber’s “Peaches.”

The girls took another video break as they got ready for their final two songs. Returning on stage clad in Denham outfits the girls belted out their radio hit “Left Right.” The girls closed out the show with their song, “Shooting Star,” which seem to capture the moment that was certainly out of this world.

XG’s inaugural performance in the US will certainly not be their last. The girls are slated to return to the states for Head In The Clouds Los Angeles Music Festival in August 2023. The Head In The Clouds Los Angeles Music Festival runs from August 5th-6th 2023. This year will be the festivals 5th anniversary.

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ITZY Shows Up & Shows Out For ‘Head In The Clouds New York’

by Emerson Unger
written by Emerson Unger

 

Thank You @lindseyblane

It’s hard to deny ITZY’s awesomeness. When the girls were slated to take to the Forest Hills Stadium stage for 88rising’s first-ever Head in the Clouds New York Festival it seemed like such a blessing that the rain that seem to consume the whole day ceased and stopped. Now, it is not that the girls single-handedly talked to mother nature and made the skies open up and bring sunshine, but their infectious energy certainly made those in attendance forget all about the rain.

Dazzling in white and black ensembles with silver details the JYP quintet consisting of Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong and Yuna took to the stage kicking off their performance with their iconic song, “Not Shy.” The girls followed it with “Sorry Not Sorry” and “In the morning” before taking a break to chat with fans. During the conversation with fans the girls admitted to writing a new version of this song just for the festival. They also shared their fear that the rain with damper their performance, but they were so grateful that the rain stopped.

The girls moved on in their set. They performed “SHOOT!,” ”Wannabe,” and their debut song “Dalla Dalla.” During “Wannabe” the girls busted out their signature moves in front of a brick digital backdrop with neon signs, which morphed into a beautiful city scape transforming those in attendance into an ITZY’s city. For their debut song, “Dalla Dalla” the girls joked about their shoulder dance. Teasing the audience, they encourage their fans to try their own versions of it.

ITZY then challenged their fans to sing-a-long to their full English song, “Boys Like You.” They practiced the chant for a few times with the fans, before performing the song. Next, the girls, changed up the vibe for their song, “Nobody Like You,” in which a cute video was played behind the girls. The video had summer vibes with palm trees with the girls often smiling wearing sunglasses.

The girls changed it up again going hard with one of their biggest hits, “Sneakers.” The crowd was certainly jumping, and ITZY’s iconic light sticks or rings definitely lit up the sky as the sun was setting. The whole crowd it seemed to be singing along with “Sneakers.” The infectious moment was followed up with the girls acknowledging that it had to be their last song to sing of the night, which was “Loco.” The girls promise to be back soon, and they lingered on stage for just a bit longer as if to say I don’t want to leave yet I will certainly miss you.

ITZY’s performance at the inaugural Head In the Clouds New York was truly special. ITZY currently is not scheduled to be back in New York anytime soon but that won’t stop their fans from waiting and wanting to see them.

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MAMAMOO Kicks Off Their Historic US Tour in New York

by Emerson Unger
written by Emerson Unger

Mamamoo @ UBS via Instagram

It was the girls first ever US tour! K- pop sensation, MAMAMOO kicked off their first ever US tour, ‘MY CON,’ with their initial stop at New York’s Belmont Park UBS arena. The quartet, made up of Solar, Moonbyul, Wheein, and Hwasa, we’re excited to see their fans, Moomoos.

 

With Moobongs, the MAMAMOO lightsticks (which resembles a radish) illuminating the arena, MAMAMOO stepped out on stage right on time to treat their fans to their hit, “1,2,3 Eoi!.”   The girls were clad in high waisted black tight pants with diamond details and white tops surrounded by a haze of purple lights with shimmering sparkling backdrops. The purple faded into bright red and white as the girls performed “Mr. Ambiguous.” With their signature moves and placing their fingers underneath their nose back-and-forth the crowd irrupted in delight. After the song, the girls took a second to greet their fans. The girl spoke in short English phrases as well as from the heart in their native language with a translator helping them to translate Korean. Hwasa said how amazing it was “to see our New York Moomoos.

 

The girls then moved onto the song, “Aya,” following a quit dance break. They had sultry and sassy moves with a colorful and at times a 3-D backdrop. Solar showed off her amazing vocal prowess hitting extraordinary high notes and holding them for an astoundingly long time during the song. The colorfulness continued as the girls moved onto the song, “ILLELLA.” During this new song the girls at exuded confidence with a colorful city backdrop that sometimes strobed into different cityscapes full of color. Then the girls took another talk break to encourage their fans to participate in a wave. Moonbyul it was astounded by the fans effort in attempting this arena wave. The girls seem to be in their element interacting with their fans.

 

The girls moved onto the next song, which had a little bit of a rock vibe to it. As the girls performed “Decalcomanie,” a beautiful palace with various rooms were projected behind them. The girls then got the crowd jumping with their monster hit, “HIP.” However, this time, for this performance, the girls implored a live rock band giving their performance a lot of edge. Doing this song each girl had a moment to perform their own individual solo dance break it showed off their individual charms and strengths as performers with killer moves and breathtaking vocals.

 

Following the performance of “HIP,” the girls took a second for themselves. disappearing off stage and allowing a video to play. During the uber cute video animated character speaking in Korean express their desire to attend a MAMAMOO concert. Not to give away the video too much, but it was very adorable with a lot of funny twists and turns. After the video the girls return to the stage wearing funny masks of each other. They showed off their playful and fun sides interacting with each other. The girls tease one another about their height and even doing a call and response with the audience. It was during this time that the running joke of the concert was kicked off when Moonbyul noticed a crowd making a woo-woo sound that would make Arsenio Hall proud. Before performing their next song, the girls admitted that Solar wrote the story for the very cute cartoonish video and then they carried on teasing each other about their heights before performing this song, “Taller Than You.”  Before the girls disappeared off stage again, Hwasa promise the next performance would be one that has never been seen before.

 

MAMAMOO change things up yet again by switching songs with each other and by tapping into nostalgia. First to reappear was Solar who performed Wheein’s song, “Water Color,” wearing her signature outfit. The set then moved onto Hwasa who took to the stage to preform Moonbyul’s “Eclipse,” wearing a uniform. Next up was Wheein decked out in a fuzzy yellow outfit that reminded the audience of Solar’s her music video for “Honey.” Rounding out the set, Moonbyul came out wearing a cropped white tank top and ripped up jeans channeling Hwasa to perform her song, “Twit.” The girls then reunited on stage as one for a mash up of  “Spit it out / Make Me Happy / LUNATIC / Maria.” The girls and vanished again allowing a video to play of them having fun while dining out.

 

Coming back on stage, this time the girls were decked out in navy blue outfits with velvet details and sparkling diamonds. For this set they performed “Paint Me,” “Star Wind Flower Sun,” “Egotistic, “and “Gogobebe.” Again, they decided to go with a rock version of “Gogobebe.” This fresh take of “Gogobebe” was quite unique and saw confetti flying at the end. The girls finish the set by taking a talk break to share their thoughts and feelings with the audience. Hwasa admitted that she was really happy, whereas Moonbyul convinced the arena to bring up the house lights so that she could see all those in attendance. As a group, the admitted that they will remember this night forever, before acknowledging that they only had two songs left in the concert.

 

There was a quick video break of the girls going through various physical challenges before they returned on stage for the mega hit “Starry Night” and “Wind Flower.” For “Starry Night” the girls transported the audience into a beautiful night sky. They also flex their strong performance prowess with strong vocals and range to which the girls all showed off their musical abilities and talents. They officially closed out the show with their song, “Wind Flower.”

 

At the end of the concert, then another video played, but things were not over. The girls had prepared an encore performance. Returning to stage in T-shirts and either comfy pants or shorts the girls performed “Travel, “   “Yes I am,” “L.I.E.C ,” and “Um Oh Ah Yeah.” Fun and energetic, the encore performance was full of songs that allowed the girls to bounce around to colorful backdrops with confetti flying everywhere. They also took time for a moving moment with fans in which a video had been prepared of fans from all over America wishing the girls to have a wonderful and safe tour. The girls genuinely seem touched and almost became emotional when they were welcome by their beloved fans. The girls also before finishing out the final song took one last time to talk to fans. They expressed their desire to come back and how much they love the Empire State. The girls then promised to return before taking a photo with the audience, a complete classic K-pop concert move that has been absent lately as K-pop artists sadly try to become more like western Popstars.  With confetti flying the girls knew that the concert was over and that they should leave the stage, but they just couldn’t stop waving at their fans they lingered a while as if to say I don’t wanna leave don’t make me leave I love this moment.

 

The whole show harkened back to those traditional K-pop concerts that have seems so foreign in our modern era. From the show beginning on time to killer live vocals with limited backing tracks, the show kicked off with a classic K-pop concert vibe.  While so many newer K-pop acts are force to speak in English, MAMAMOO spoke freely and comfortably with the help of a translator.  Despite more k-pop groups embracing more western concert concepts, it was truly refreshing to feel the energy, observe the talent and taken in a more traditional K-pop concert, with a photo finish.

 

Next stop for the girls will be heading down to Baltimore’s CFG Bank Arena. The girls are performing nine days across a two-month period. They will have shows in Nashville, Chicago as well as Oakland and Los Angeles.  The tour will culminate in the state of California.

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Tomorrow X Together Returns To The Big Apple To Dazzle Fans

by Emerson Unger
written by Emerson Unger

@UBSAreana

The boys are back in town! Tomorrow X Together, or commonly known as TXT, returned to the big apple, but this time to the new UBS Arena for a two-night concert event as a part of their Act: Sweet Mirage tour. As the members, Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Huening Kai, promised, the boys came back to dazzle their super fans, MOA.

The boys open the show with their dance hit, “Blue Hour,” which was a special rendition that included dance breaks. Clad in white outfits with sport jersey tops, the boys could see a sea of their fans’ light-sticks of gold and blue illuminating the arena. Plus, those in attendance were certainly happy to see their Idols light up the stage. TXT then performed “Can’t We Just Leave The Monster Alive?” before giving the audience a shortened version of “Drama.” Up next was an English version of their song, “Cat & Dog,” which they followed it up by stealing their fans’ hearts with “9 and Three Quarters,” aka “Run Away.”  At the end of the song, Huening Kai did an extended dance break or choreo. The dance break was very whimsical, with a mixture of fantasy inspired augmented reality projected on screen and Disney Magic-esque moves. Basically, Huening Kai seemed to be channeling the one and only Mickey Mouse from Fantasia with gold dust bursting out of him before it was time for the show to move on.

When all five members returned to the stage, they did so for “We Lost The Summer.” During the song fans went wild with delight as Taehyun hit the high notes as the stage was bathed in red. Red covered everything as the boys performed, “Can’t You See Me?” The song was slowed up a bit and a little reverb was added to the song to give the performance a fiery feel.  Then a video break played on the big screen as the boys disappeared backstage to prepare for the next song. The video break was mysterious and dark involving an invading green gel and interesting tea drink and the boys wearing military uniforms.  The video used imagery that was magical. It was inspiring to the soul and left the mind wondering what would happen next.

@UBSAreana

Next, TXT returned to the stage to perform their hit, “0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)” but this time the boys were wearing darker edgier rock inspired clothes. Plus, fans went crazy for Soobin’s part during the song. As the boys transitioned into their next song, “LO$ER=LO♡ER,” the graphic projected on the big screen of an ice palace faded away into a desert motif, which saw a jaguar sports car placed on the stage. The boys jumped into the car and toss the green paper into the air as they sing a song. Then Yeonjun dazzle the audience with sparkling delights using AR before a video of magic beams of color took over the stage for their song, “Dear Sputnik.” However, things went next level for the boys’ performance of “Magic.”

It seemed as if the whole crowd could feel the magic as TXT performed their English hit, “Magic.” The whole arena seemed to be on their feet, singing-a long and clapping their hands. After a short video break, which was a continuation of the previous video, the boys did a series of dance breaks with a black and white serious vibe. The breaks were clouded in smoke and were reminiscent of traditional k-pop moves with serious fluid movements that would make any classically trained dancer proud.  When they all reunited as one it was powerful to see how their own individual talents could be combined to make a powerful statement as TXT. Yeonjun remark that the dance breaks showed the guys evolution as artists and as a group that they now had to offer to MOA.  Then, Soobin and Beomgyu tease each other about their visuals and who was more handsome, though it was painfully apparent that Soobin was not comfortable with the audience noticing his increasingly good looking visuals. Every time he would speak a crowd of girls would erupt and he would get quiet and blush as if to say I’m really not that good looking, but thank you. TXT went on to perform “Opening Sequence,” “Anti-Romantic,” and an almost rock version of “Eternally.”  For “Anti-Romantic,” a chandelier was projected behind the guys before a rose in a glass jar was seen to be shedding its petals slowing just like in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. For “Eternally” the projections changed again. This time colorful images of the night sky were projected behind the boys, but things changed on a dime as the cool calmness was replaced by fiery red rage for the part of the song that were more aggressive. After that performance, the boys then retreated from the stage for another video break which was a continuation of the previous video’s story.

After the video, TXT returned again on stage, with one member placing a rose in his mouth, almost like a cigarette and lighting it on fire, for a dramatic intro to their Mega hit,

“Good Boy Gone Bad.” The guys for this go around donned white t-shirts with black jeans before putting on jackets later in the show for their songs, “Tinnitus,” “Devil by the Window,” and “Angel or Devil.” For this set the boys gave off killer rock vibes and fiery fierceness capturing the beautifulness of love and its dangerous downfall.

Changing things up completely, TXT took things in the opposite direction for their decadently sweet pop anthem dedicated to sugary goodness in the soft serve form with their song, “Ice Cream.” It was obvious that the boys really enjoyed performing the song. Afterwards they admitted it was one of their first times performing the song and they did it as a gift to their fans. Beomgyu even joke they know what their fans like. Knowing what their fans like, Yeonjun got MOA up on their feet with his dance challenge for “Happy fool.” He first gave the audience a tutorial and then assigned a TXT member to school their section of the audience on the dance. The moment was certainly cute as the camera from the show captured MOA trying their best on the big screen. The cuteness certainly continued as the guys took turns eating imaginary ice cream from each other before jumping on a “Sugar Rush Ride.” Right before the final song the boys promised to be back to New York soon before heading off stage.

However, like most K-pop concerts the show wasn’t exactly over. Cue the encore as TXT returned to the stage for a very special moment. Wearing their tour tees the guys did a very sentimental and sweet rendition of “Farewell, Neverland.” During the song they waved at fans as they walked about the stage. Then TXT bless their MOA with a sing-a-long to their new unreleased song, “Blue Spring.” They genuinely seemed touch by their MOA singing to and with them. As “Our Summer” played the boys lingered on stage as if not ready to say goodbye. They seemed to stay another 20 minutes on stage just smiling, waving and interacting with fans.

The two shows at the UBS Arena showed just how Tomorrow X Together has evolved as a group and grown as individual artists. Their shows are obviously more cohesive and now a have mythical and magical narrative running through the whole entire performance.  Plus, the show is more condense with only major and moving songs being performed. Furthermore, their use of new technology like augmented reality seems to fit seamlessly into the show as if it was an extension of them as artists.

@UBSAreana

Though there was some pondering if TXT could keep the intimacy they had with fans as seen in previous concerts. From their debut in Time Square at an exclusive venue to their Madison Square Garden Theater concert, in which the boys jumped into the audience and ran around, TXT has always been really close to the NYC MOA. They enjoy interacting with their fans almost to the point that fans could see the pores in the boys’ skin.  Delightfully, the boys didn’t lose that closeness with fans. Even though the UBS Arena is quite big there were numerous times like when Yeonjun challenged MOA during his dance challenge for “Happy fool,” that TXT kept their closeness with fans. Seeing MOA on the big screen and the boys’ reaction kept the moment sacred. Plus, the sing-a-long to TXT’s new song, “Blue Spring” easily pulled on the heart strings. Clearly TXT have grown as artists, but still kept their connection to their fans.

Tomorrow X Together will conclude their North American leg of their Act: Sweet Mirage tour in Los Angeles. The boys will then head over sea to Asia for shows in Japan before returning to the States. They will return to Chicago to headline Lollapalooza on Saturday August 5th. One can only wonder what magic they will bring with them to Grant Park in Downtown Chicago.

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The Iconic ‘Head In The Clouds’ Music Festival is Coming to NYC

by Emerson Unger
written by Emerson Unger

 

Apart from spring, New Yorkers now have something else to get excited about coming this May. It was announced today that NYC will be holding its own groundbreaking Asian concert “Head In The Clouds Music and Arts Festival.” This “Head In The Clouds New York Music Arts Festival” like its Los Angeles counterpart will be presented by 88rising. The “Head In The Clouds New York Music Arts Festival” will take place on May 20 and May 21, 2023, at the Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York. The festival will feature performances from acts such as K-pop mega girl group ITZY, along with 88rising’s Rich Brian and NIKI as well as Thai rapper MILLI, radio-played Japanese girl group XG and many more.

However, this festival is more than just a mere concert. Taking place during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the festival is also a sort of homecoming for the pioneering and internationally-renowned Asian music company, 88rising, which was launched in NYC in 2015. Moreover, the festival will also aid the non-profit organization “Heart of Dinner.” The organization partnered with “Head In The Clouds New York Music Arts Festival” so that at least $1 from every ticket sold for the festival could help  “Heart of Dinner” with their mission of fighting hunger in the elderly Asian community.  “Heart of Dinner” aims to directly address food insecurity and isolation experienced by Asian American seniors, which was amplified by the pandemic.
 
The festival will solidify a partnership between the global pioneer in amplifying Asian voices and talents in America, 88rising, and Goldenvoice, the concert company behind the world-famous Coachella Music Festival. Furthermore, The Bowery Presents, the leading east coast promoter of concerts, will also lend their talents to this groundbreaking Asian-centric music festival.  Clearly, these three live music-proven powerhouses can deliver an electrifying music festival. 
 

“Head In The Clouds New York Music Arts Festival” will take place on Saturday, May 20, and Sunday, May 21, 2023, at the Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York. To get tickets and see the full lineup of performers at the inaugural event check out their website at www.ny.hitcfestival.com.  Registration to buy during the pre-sale goes live on Friday, March 17 at 10 AM ET. General on-sale tickets become available on Monday, March 20 at 10 AM ET.

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