88rising Founder Talks 2024 Coachella Showcase & Why It May Be Their Last

As music and media company 88rising gets set for another showcase at Coachella this weekend, founder Sean Miyashiro has only one regret: He should have told festival founder Paul Tollett to make the company’s name bigger on the lineup poster.

“I would have told him to [feature] us more prominently,” says Miyashiro, who curated a special 88rising Futures showcase for this year’s Coachella — adding that Tollett told him last year’s 88rising set “blew up the [streaming] numbers for YouTube, especially in Asia. Indonesia and The Philippines were really big — viewership form there that they have never experienced before.”

Miyashiro expects this year’s 88rising takeover will make a similarly big impression. Taking place at the Mojave stage just after 5 p.m., the label’s third consecutive Coachella set will feature performances from genre-defying quartet ATARASHII GAKKO!; male supergroup Number_i; Awich, popularly known as the queen of Japanese hip-hop Awich; and pop sensation YOASOBI. Both ATARASHII GAKKO! and YOASOBI will perform their own individual sets, though the former act tells Billboard to expect additional magic from the 88rising showcase.

“The 88rising set is where the magic of collaboration happens!” ATARASHII GAKKO! says via email, adding that it intends to debut new tracks from its forthcoming album during the performance. “The collaborations with YOASOBI and Awich are something special that can only happen on the 88 stage. We cannot wait to show everyone the vibrant AG! energy. We hope it will be an unforgettable experience for everyone in the crowd!”

While the showcase will represent talent from several Asian countries including Japan, China and Korea, it will also feature several surprise acts from additional countries as the music company continues to act as a “bridge between East and West, West and East,” explains Miyashiro.

“When we started, I don’t think that we tangibly knew how to [be that bridge], but, over time, there are these platforms that we’ve been able to create or partner with like Coachella [that are] really meaningful,” Miyashiro says, adding that while these artists are blowing up around the world, it can be hard to break through the noise and make their way onto the lineup of an American festival like Coachella.

“When I ask some of these artist [to come perform],” he adds, “they cry. Even their managers cry.”

For Miyashiro, developing artists and helping them break through is a major part of the company’s mission. “That is what we started the company for,” he says, “and a lot of that is coming true.”

While the 88rising set during Coachella’s first weekend is expected to be filled with special guests, the second weekend lineup will also have an element of surprise — even for Miyashiro. With some artists having to fly back home, he continues, “frankly speaking, we’re still figuring out what we’re trying to do,” he says with a laugh. “But we’re figuring it out pretty quickly.”

With the latest 88rising set at Coachella just days away, Miyashiro says he’s already looking ahead to 2025, with the company already working on developing a stage musical. “This [year] is going to be the last 88rising does something like a showcase. Next time it is going to be like a movie,” says Miyashiro. “In 2025, we’re going to need the main stage.”