Celebrities were honored at the inaugural Moonrise Gala hosted by music and media company 88Rising on Feb. 17 at the Milk Studios in Los Angeles. 

Awarded the Moonrise Medal for the contributions to advancing Asian culture globally and within the creative community were singer and rapper Anderson .Paak; singer and fashion icon Jackson Wang; Indonesian singer-songwriter and producer Niki, Filipino-American dance-pop singer Jocelyn Enriquez; legendary hip-hop turntablists group Invisibl Skratch Piklz; and Destin Daniel Cretton, filmmaker behind Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” 

Anderson .Paak (BFA.com)

Moorise Gala (BFA.com)

Niki (BFA.com)

Destin Daniel Cretton (BFA.com)

Warren Hue & BADBADNOTGOOD's surprise performance at Moonrise Gala (BFA.com)

Eyedress (BFA.com)

Jocelyn Enriquez and Dumbfoundead (BFA.com)

The Moonrise Medal was created by New York City-based jewelry line Anna Kikue, which celebrated the New Year by intricately blending tradition with innovation. 

The gala united 88rising’s collaborators and community from the realms of music, fashion, entertainment, and media.

Notable guests included rapper Rich Brian, Filipino actress Liza Soberano, rapper and singer Guapdad 4000, singer Audrey Nuna, record producer and DJ TOKiMONSTA, rapper and singer Warren Hue, actor Gia Kim, actor Rich Ting, singer-songwriter and producer Stephanie Poetri, singer-songwriter Ylona Garcia, musician and DJ Elephante, producer Dan the Automator, rapper Dumbfoundead, singer and dancer XIN LIU, actor Sam Li and actor Joon Lee from The Brothers Sun, South Korean actor Ko Jun, Taiwanese-American singer and actor Vanness Wu, Singaporean actors Lim Kay Siu and Neo Swee Lin, Global Head of Editorial at Spotify Sulinna Ong, and Taiwanese-American visual artist James Jean. 

 Destin Daniel Cretton, Sulinna Ong, Sean Miyashiro and Jackson Wang (BFA.com)

(From left) Elephante, Lyn Lapid and Mad Tsai, and Liza Soberano (BFA.com)

 DJ Noodz (BFA.com)

Anderson .Paak with Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Dumbfoundead, Guapdad 4000 & TOKiMONSTA (BFA.com)

(Clockwise from top left) Sam Li and Joon Lee, Dumbfoundead, Wolftyla and guest, and Jocelyn Enriquez (BFA.com)

Live entertainment 

The Moonrise Gala featured live on-stage performances. The program opened with a special performance by Filipino singer-songwriter and rapper Eyedress, followed by event honoree Enriquez, who is widely regarded as a music pioneer, becoming the first Filipino-American to find success in the mainstream industry with her hit single “Do You Miss Me,” with original choreography that paid homage to the late choreographer Mykal Anthony, who played a pivotal role in Enriquez’s creative direction of live performances. 

Next, Invisibl Skratch Piklz—the hip-hop turntablist group who have left an indelible mark on the art of DJing and scratching—showcased their boundary-pushing DJ skills with their original techniques, followed by a performance from Niki, the singer-songwriter who has achieved worldwide acclaim with over 2.1 billion streams, has made history as the first Indonesian artist ever to grace the Coachella stage, and headlined 88rising’s Head in the Clouds festivals in New York and Los Angeles.

The gala programming culminated with a surprise performance by rapper and singer Warren Hue alongside instrumental band and production team BADBADNOTGOOD. 

Both Warren Hue and BADBADNOTGOOD are featured artists of 88rising’s new music and art collective, 1999 Write The Future, which pays tribute to and encapsulates Asian American culture of the 1990s with its contemporary sound and forward-thinking point of view. 

Guests were treated to live performances of the newly released 1999 Write The Future tracks “cOoL WATeR foR thE nIGHT” and “COuGhDrOPs (,,Ծ‸Ծ,,)” as excitement reverberated throughout the venue. 

The evening’s performances concluded with a rendition of “California,” a signature 88rising collaborative single. ​​From being the first and only label to hold a main stage at Coachella to hosting Head In The Clouds, the first-ever Asian-centric music festival in the United States, 88rising consistently highlights Asian talent while fostering discovery and inspiration.