KUN Discusses Head in the Clouds New York Performance, New Album & Tour Plans

Tucked beneath the Kosciuszko Bridge in Brooklyn, Under the K Bridge Park has risen from an abandoned industrial site to become one of the city’s most vibrant new public spaces. On Saturday night, it proved to be the perfect stage for 88rising’s annual Head in the Clouds Festival, a celebration of artists across the Asian diaspora. Among the standout names of this year’s lineup was legendary Chinese singer, songwriter, and producer KUN (Cai Xukun).

With more than 51 million followers on Weibo, one of China’s largest social media platforms, KUN brought undeniable star power to the unique outdoor venue. His career first took off in 2018 when he won first place on the hit show Idol Producer with over 47 million votes, securing his debut in the boy group NINE PERCENT. Since then, he has carved out a dynamic solo career, blending genres such as R&B, jazz, rock, pop, and electronic soul to create a sound that is distinctly his own.

Backstage, KUN’s global presence radiates effortlessly, yet a simple handshake and gracious introduction reveal how grounded and sincere he is, not just as an artist but as a human being. V13’s guest writer Angel Polito caught up with the soulful singer ahead of his Head in the Clouds performance to discuss new releases, tour plans and his artistic vision.

This is your second time performing at Head in the Clouds. The first time was more of a surprise appearance. How will tonight feel different now that you’ve had the time to shape your performance vision?

KUN: “The first time we only played two songs, so this time I prepared the whole set. My band and I work hard together. We even prepared a new song for the audience today. I might never release this song, or I might never put it on an album, so it’s like a special gift for today. Only for the people who came today. The song is called ‘Plastic Angels.’ I am very excited!”

That’s really beautiful. My name is Angel, so that’s really special.

“Oh yeah, let’s go! (laughs).”

I’m looking forward to hearing it; that’s really exciting. You mentioned on your Instagram channel that you’ll be performing new songs tonight. Is that the only one, or are there other songs?

“Yeah, that’s the only one.”

KUN, photo courtesy of 88rising

At the last performance of Head in the Clouds, you performed an unreleased track called “Washed Away.” Could you tell us about the vision behind that?

“Washed Away” is an idea that I want to kind of wash away the past. I want to ‘kill’ yesterday. I want to ‘kill’ the old me because I don’t even like a lot of my old records. I am never satisfied and always want to be better. I’m always updating. So, ‘Washed Away’ is a track (where) I want to tell people, ‘Hey, it’s 2025, and it’s a new year, a new moment, a new revolution!’ My fans and I should look at a new future (and) create something new!”

Absolutely.

“Washed away. Straight up, like, let it go.”

I love it. Just let it go. You’ve also mentioned how your new songs connect with each other. How does “Jasmine” further the storyline of “Deadman?”

So everything I wrote came from my personal feelings. Like ‘Jasmine’ as a figment of my imagination. Also, “Deadman,” if you see the music video, there is always a girl who keeps killing me, or she’s sitting there, but she’s never there. So it’s also an imagination. I am in all of the process, like I’m in every single step. So I write lyrics, I tell people what I want for the production, and I am a producer as well. Whatever I put out, it represents myself. I am not getting demos just to sing it. I feel like that’s the main difference.

You’re super hands-on with your work.

“Yeah, exactly.”

That’s incredible. So what do you hope that listeners will take away from the music tonight? What do you want them to feel?

“Honestly, tonight I just want to have fun. We should get a drink together; we just go crazy, we just celebrate. I mean, whatever they want! You know?”

Yeah! Celebrating the new you. I love it.

“Yeah!”

So my last question for you is, do you have an ultimate dream?

“Ultimate dream. Well, to be honest, I used to think a lot. I used to have very big pictures, but right now, I look at small things. Like, how do you actually get there?

“For now, I just want to focus on putting out good music and finishing the album for sure. We are going to start a tour next year. So you know, just focus on these things; focus on the work. I feel like overthinking is just not good for you. You just (have) to do it! So right now, I don’t have a big dream; I just want to make each day count.”

I think that’s a beautiful dream to have. It was wonderful to talk with you.

“Thank you so much.”

In our closing remarks, KUN was just as friendly and suave as the moment we first met. He and his team asked if I was staying for his set, promising I’d enjoy the show. I replied with an enthusiastic “Absolutely! I love your music,” to which he cheerfully exclaimed, “Let’s go!”

I meant every word. I first encountered KUN in 2020 on iQIYI‘s variety show Youth With You Season 2, where he served as a youth producer (host) alongside Lisa of BLACKPINK. I initially tuned in for Lisa, but I stayed for KUN. His gentlemanly demeanour, considerate mentorship of the trainees, and that genuine smile. It’s the same smile he carried to Head in the Clouds, lit from within by the chance to share his new music with thousands of fans, just as radiant in return.

But KUN in 2025 is exactly what he describes himself to be: a revolution. His artistry has undergone a striking transformation since his Youth With You days. His latest work draws from vintage jazz, R&B, and soul influences while simultaneously carving out a sound entirely his own—entirely KUN.

As KUN’s set approached, waves of fans pressed closer to the stage. Fellow festival attendees informed me they were Chinese international students, thrilled to see one of their country’s top artists live. All around, glowing yellow cat-ear headbands made it easy to spot a fellow iKun, the name for KUN’s devoted fandom. The audience stretched out in every direction, spilling so far back that the crowd nearly reached the smaller secondary stage beneath the bridge overhang. The screen lit up with KUN’s name in red, hollowed-out letters as smoke poured across the stage.

A haunting voiceover cut through the haze: “When the angels are falling from the sky, the world comes crashing down; who’s gonna pray for me?”

With that, KUN leaned fully into his rockstar essence, tearing through the grungy, red-lit “Ride or Die.” Riding the wave of that power, he shifted gears into an unreleased track he had teased to V13: “You guys are going to hear a song I’ve never played before. This song’s called ‘Plastic Angels.’ Let’s rock?”

Plastic Angel hold my hand, lift me up to nowhere land, lay my soul on neon clouds, up so high it can’t come down…”

In this bluesy rock ballad, KUN pleads for his angel to “hear his prayer” and carry him into a dreamlike universe beyond reach. Though unreleased and perhaps destined to remain an evanescent gift for the Head in the Clouds crowd, the track already threads into the narrative of “Deadman” and “Jasmine,” echoing the same loneliness and longing for a celestial escape.

“You know what? I fucking love New York, man,” KUN exclaimed before his next song. “This is the city that inspires me a lot.”

With the crowd already buzzing, he urged fans to raise their phone flashlights, and soon the park under the Kosciuszko Bridge shimmered with light as he launched into “Afterglow.” Fading from one pink-lit stage to the next, KUN drifted into trip-hop territory with “Hard to Get,” a track wrapped in hazy melodies and pulsing rhythms. The next song sparked one of the night’s most vibrant reactions. “Sing it!” KUN urged, and the crowd echoed back every word of his hit “Lover,” sung predominantly in Mandarin. For a moment, their voices merged into one, hearts beating in unison through the sound of song.

After a run of fan favourites, KUN seamlessly guided the crowd back into his present musical state of mind with “Jasmine,” his retro-soul single released August 8th. The track’s cinematic soundscape—the band’s smooth instrumentation paired with KUN’s genre-bending vocals—turned the night into something that felt lifted from a film.

He closed with “Deadman,” the song that catalyzed his 2025 sonic vision. Moving between tender falsettos and commanding belts, KUN gave a raw, soul-baring performance. It was a cry that promised this was only the beginning of his international journey.