Inside Head in the Clouds 2026: XG, KATSEYE and More Take Over LA
After the Head in the Clouds 10th anniversary festival last year, I was excited to see that this year’s show was condensed to only one day. Of course, I had a blast seeing artists like G-Dragon and 2NE1, but bracing the hot June summer heat for two whole days was taxing. I still had to endure LA’s heat wave this year; however, a lineup stretching from ONE OR EIGHT and KiiKii to XG and KATSEYE gave me plenty of reason to stick it out.
A Fast Start Under the Los Angeles Sun
The show opened with J-pop boy group ONE OR EIGHT. Although I missed their first two songs while making my way through security, I caught their final track, “INVINCIBLE,” from their upcoming EP EN-GINE, due August 19. Teasing fans with new material was a nice touch, even if I found myself wishing the group had been given more than a 10-minute, three-song set.
BE, another J-pop boy group, followed with a slightly longer five-song set. Even at 15 minutes, their time seemed to disappear quickly, largely because I was so absorbed by their performance. Their stage presence matched the intensity of the summer heat, keeping the early momentum high before Gia Fu shifted the atmosphere with a more laid-back, funky DJ set. After the explosive performances from ONE OR EIGHT and BE, the change of pace was welcome.
Indonesian rapper and singer Warren Hue kept that variety going with a set that mixed fan favorites like “candy choppa” and “BOY OF THE YEAR” with a surprising amount of unreleased material. He also brought out Rich Brian, who would return for his own set later in the day, for “Getcho Mans,” sending the crowd into a frenzy. Warren has become something of a Head in the Clouds fixture at this point—this marked his fifth year performing at the festival—and his pride in that history was evident throughout a set that felt as consistent as ever.
Next came Indonesian girl group No Na, who I became a pretty big fan of after seeing their debut at last year’s festival. Along with my personal favorite, “Shoot,” they introduced “seafood diet,” a new track from their upcoming album Island Girl, set to arrive in September. From what I could interpret from the live lyrics, the song seems to use food as a playful metaphor for enjoying life, including the line, “Swimming in the deep, that’s my Krispy Kreme.” It was fun on first listen, though I’m reserving full judgment until I can hear the recorded version next month.
KiiKii, LNGSHOT, and UMI Keep the Day Moving
By the time K-pop girl group KiiKii took the stage, I noticed the crowd beginning to grow considerably. This marked their first performance in the United States, and they made the opportunity count. Opening with the popular “DANCING ALONE,” the group used their 35-minute set to work through fan favorites including “Delulu” and “404 (New Era).” They also gave the audience a preview of “Candy Pink Magic Hole Flip Phone,” from their new EP WhyKiiKii, which had been released only a few days earlier. Like ONE OR EIGHT, it’s always a personal and fun touch for groups to include teasers for upcoming songs, making the setlist feel more thoughtful.
Tiffany Day carried some of KiiKii’s hyperpop energy into her own performance, pulling heavily from her new album HALO with songs including “American Day” and “Same LA.” Her personality also came through between songs—and at one point, she revealed that she had gotten a new tattoo before jokingly apologizing to her family, one of several crowd interactions that gave the set an organic sense of spontaneity.
LNGSHOT became another highlight of the festival for me, particularly through performances of “Facetime,” “Never Let Go,” and “Moonwalkin’.” Some of the members encountered microphone issues, but they persevered without allowing the technical problems to derail the set. And as much as I am a Jay Park fan, I was glad he didn’t make an appearance here. This allowed the LNGSHOT boys to really shine through and stand on their own, placing all the attention on them.
UMI delivered perhaps the most personal set of the day. Her voice was gorgeous live, especially during a cover of Frank Ocean’s “Thinking Bout You,” but some of the most memorable moments came when she let go of the setlist entirely. Halfway through, she pulled out an iPod Nano and turned toward a run of throwbacks including Cali Swag District’s “Teach Me How to Dougie,” Soulja Boy’s “Crank That,” and Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the U.S.A.” Backed by a live band, the performance had an intimacy that distinguished it from the larger, choreography-heavy productions surrounding it.
Rich Brian Bridges the Past and Present
Rich Brian’s set also felt like a payoff to last year’s festival. I remembered him explaining then that he had delayed his album Where Is My Head? to improve its quality, which meant he wasn’t able to perform material from it at the time. This year, songs like “Senja” and “Timezones” finally made their way onto the Head in the Clouds stage. The latter was one of my favorites, in part because its themes felt surprisingly relatable; as a teenager, I also spent plenty of nights online scouring the internet and playing Call of Duty. New song “Tear,” a heartfelt story about struggling to move on from an ex, brought another emotional dimension before he closed with the inevitable “Dat $tick,” the breakout track that propelled him to stardom and still had enough power to send the crowd into a frenzy.
As the Sun Sets, Head in the Clouds Changes Shape
By the time Rich Brian finished and Dabin.KR emerged, the sun had begun to set. His 45-minute performance effectively ushered the festival into its nighttime phase, and after spending hours under the sun, the shift alone changed how the entire event felt. With the heat finally easing, I could give the stage my full attention without battling exhaustion.
Dabin’s blend of hip-hop and crooning, Auto-Tuned vocals transformed the open-air festival into something closer to a rave or nightclub. Tracks like “MENT” and “Saucer” also pulled from rock and R&B, giving his set more stylistic range than its late-night atmosphere initially suggested.
Between songs, Dabin intermittently addressed the crowd with more reflective remarks. Without referencing specific events, he alluded to past controversies and spoke about having to start over and establish a new name for himself. The audience responded warmly, cheering him on before he continued performing. His set did appear to run slightly over its allotted time, however, and at one point his microphone seemingly cut out. Dabin remained visible on the giant screen with no sound reaching the audience, creating an awkward ending and a somewhat clumsy transition into the night’s penultimate act.
XG and KATSEYE Take Over the Night
The Japanese group XG was one of the best highlights of the night. With an elaborate set which included stairs and railings, the members gave us an unforgettable performance by using the entire stage. The group made room for songs from their latest album, The Core, with songs like “Gala” and “Hypnotize,” which made the setlist feel fresh to me since I saw them on tour back in 2024. They also were able to fit in their most popular songs, including “GRL GVNG,” “IS THIS LOVE,” “LEFT RIGHT,” and “SHOOTING STAR,” giving the setlist a nice balance of promoting the latest material while providing the fans with their favorites.
KATSEYE finally closed the festival, and even with Sophia absent, the group’s energy remained palpable. Their sharp choreography carried easily across the large stage, while Lara’s vocals were especially impressive. She sounded phenomenal live and repeatedly emerged as one of the strongest vocal presences in the group.
Given that they had the same amount of set time as XG, I could sense that Katseye did stall a little bit. They just had just enough material to fill that entire hour, relying on more fan interactions and extended intros.
However, the extended intros gave Katseye’s set a feeling of prestige, providing a lightshow that made the performances feel even grander. Songs like “Mean Girls” and “Gabriela” specifically utilized these extended intros, and they were smartly spread out throughout the setlist. The pacing felt smoother and the stalling didn’t feel as noticeable as it could’ve been.
Unsurprisingly, KATSEYE saved “Gnarly” for last. It may have been the predictable closer, but given the song’s role in accelerating the group’s global rise, it also felt like the natural endpoint for Head in the Clouds 2026. Few other tracks could have closed their set—or the festival itself—with the same recognition and immediate crowd response.
A More Streamlined Head in the Clouds
In the end, Head in the Clouds 2026 was ultimately a fun return to the festival, made even better by one major logistical change: unlike last year, the performances weren’t split between two separate stages. I no longer had to trek from one end of the Rose Bowl grounds to the other just to catch every act I wanted to see. My feet were definitely thankful, and after a day that moved from J-pop choreography and intimate live-band moments to hip-hop, hyperpop, and full-scale nighttime productions, I’m already curious to see what next year’s lineup brings.
