Thai superstar MILLI punches above her weight at Head in the Clouds
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MILLI wants to fight. We are talking about stepping in the ring, with boxing gloves and mouth guards — the real deal. She has, after all, been training in Muay Thai boxing for the past two years.
“So I told my company,” the 22 year-old artist begins. She speaks from inside the sweltering media tent at 88rising’s 10th Head in the Clouds Festival in Pasadena this past weekend. “And they were like, ‘No, we’re not gonna let our artists do that, you know you’re gonna hurt yourself. So I planned out the song ‘One Punch,’ and then [that led] to my second album, ‘Heavy Weight.’
“They agreed with me, I can have a real fight, because it might be good for the album too. You know, it’s perfect. I’m using my career to do whatever.”
That kind of tenaciousness seems to be a signature trait for the performer whose birth name is Danupha Khanatheerakul. Rising from a young girl in an ordinary family in Thailand, she has become arguably the country’s most famous female musician, notwithstanding Lalisa Manobal, otherwise known as Lisa from Blackpink.
Back in 2022, at just 19, MILLI made both history and headlines by becoming the first female Thai solo artist to perform at Coachella. She ended her set by eating a bowl of mango sticky rice, aptly, during her song “Mango Sticky Rice.” Clips of that performance went viral while back in Bangkok, orders of the delectable South Asian treat skyrocketed. That performance was one of the reasons she landed on BBC’s 100 Women list that year, the only Thai woman to do so.
With an eclectic range, high-energy performances, and history of addressing social and political topics in her lyrics, MILLI quickly endeared herself to Thailand’s Gen Z.
“Phak Khon,” her 2020 debut tackling school bullying with lyrics in Thai, Isan dialect, Lu and English, helped catapult her to fame. The track, released by homegrown label Yupp! and produced by fellow Thai rapper and producer Nino, resonated with audiences for its takedown of toxic boy-loving mean girls. To date, the song’s video has racked up over 96 million views.
Ice Boonyiamtanad flew to Head in the Clouds from Boston with her boyfriend to catch MILLI’s set Sunday evening at the 88rising main stage. The 27-year-old marketing student from Thailand has been following the artist since she appeared on the Thai competition show “The Rapper 2,” where even then precocious teen MILLI showed performance prowess and a flow reminiscent of Nicki Minaj, one of her major influences.
“I feel like all of my generation listens to her,” she says. “I’m actually a fan because of [all of her] talents, her voice … she sings so great,” says Boonyiamtanad, also citing MILLI’s relatability to Thai youth, especially women as a factor in her fandom.
But her voice is another draw. MILLI is a self-taught vocalist. Her stage name, she said, refers to a milliliter, a way to measure water. And like water, she sees herself as able to flow, changing form without losing her core alchemy — equally comfortable spitting fire rap verses as delivering sultry R&B riffs.
On stage at Head in the Clouds she debuted “Menace,” showing off her slightly smoky tone. Neo-soul lyrics call out a toxic man as a thudding baseline hits. Combined with her vocal cadence, it’s a little reminiscent of “Baduizm”-era Erykah Badu.
For many fans, her stage theatrics, often connected to culture, are far from performative.
Via Mariano, a 20-something from Burbank who works for Hulu, first discovered MILLI in 2020 during the pandemic. “I was an Asian studies major in college,” she says while waiting for MILLI to begin her set. “ I wanted to learn more about music from around the world and when I got to Thailand I was like ‘Who’s the best spokesperson for Thailand?’ For me it was MILLI.
“One of the things I appreciate about her is that she takes the time to learn other languages,” Mariano continues. “Especially in ‘Mirror Mirror’ where she is rapping in Thai, Korean and Japanese and flipping between each one verse for verse, it’s a super impressive skill. I think for sure her momentum is going up, especially working with 88rising … it’s a really great opportunity to grow her as a brand.”
Over the past few years MILLI’s rise has been marked by hit collaborations with other global stars. She trades verses with Changbin from Stray Kids on “Mirror Mirror” and swaps sultry verses with fellow 88rising label mate Jackson Wang.
Head in the Clouds is 88rising’s flagship music festival. The number 88 signifies double happiness in Chinese culture, a fortunate name as the company has grown to become one of the most influential driving forces in entertainment, helping to propel Asian artists like MILLI from all over the world.
After her set, we caught up with Sean Miyashiro, who along with Jason Ma co-founded the label (then under a different name) in 2015. Miyashiro, who grew up in San Jose and is in his mid-40s, could be mistaken for a skater or surfer decades younger if not for his long, gray hair.
“To this day I don’t think I’ve met anyone like her,” he says of MILLI. “She’s this crazy, talented genius, but it’s the energy and the feeling she gives you when you interact with her. … She’s super special, that comes through with her lyrics and her stage performance too.”
Although 88rising has become more impactful on the music industry, carving out a crucial space for artists like MILLI to expand, Miyashiro still sees his company as in a position to grow.
“The major labels run s— when it gets to a certain level, you know,” he says. “And I think that we always try to punch above our weight, we are the underdogs … and we like that.” He adds, “It’s not necessarily a barrier to me, it’s a great responsibility … we have an opportunity to wake up every day and pop some s— off.”
Things were definitely popping off earlier during the performance of “One Punch,” her first single to drop from the new album. ‘‘One Punch,” released in collaboration with the popular game “Valorant” for VCT Masters Bangkok, is a hard-hitting rap anthem with a chorus begging to “lemme get that punch.” For her Head in the Clouds set, MILLI — clad in a boxer’s robe — brought Muay Thai legend Buakaw Banchamek onstage, with her backup dancers deftly ducking his kicks.
As fearless as she is, the main thing she has to fight is herself. “My enemy is myself,” she confesses. “I still see myself in the mirror and say ‘You’re not pretty enough, you’re not smart enough, you’re not good enough.”
But with “Heavyweight” the gloves are off. “I’m a fighter, and I have to prove that I can do whatever I want, even if I’m a girl.”
It’s a fighting spirit that continues to work in her favor. That fight she wanted? She got it.
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