"Hot" (stylized in
all caps
In typography, all caps (short for "all capitals") refers to text or a font in which all letters are capital letters, for example: "THIS TEXT IS IN ALL CAPS". All caps may be used for emphasis (for a word or phrase). They are commonly seen in ...
) is a single by South Korean boy group
Seventeen
Seventeen or 17 may refer to:
*17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18
* one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017
Literature
Magazines
* ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine
* ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...
, released by
Pledis Entertainment
Pledis Entertainment () is a South Korean entertainment company founded by Han Sung-Soo in 2007. The label is home to actress Nana, Hwang Min-hyun, Baekho, and K-pop groups Seventeen and Fromis 9. Its name originates from the pleiades, a star cl ...
through
YG Plus
YG Plus Inc. (previously named Phoenix Holdings Inc.) is a publicly traded media and advertising company acquired by YG Entertainment in November 2014. In 2019, the company entered the music distribution industry and also engages in production, d ...
. It was released as the title track of their studio album, ''
Face the Sun
''Face the Sun'' is the fourth studio album by South Korean boy band Seventeen. It was released on May 27, 2022 by Pledis Entertainment through YG Plus. The album contains nine tracks, with "Hot" serving as lead single. The first track, "Darlin ...
'', on May 27, 2022. Written by
Woozi
Lee Ji-hoon (; born November 22, 1996), better known by his stage name Woozi (), is a South Korean singer, songwriter and record producer. He is a member of the boy band Seventeen. Aside from his work as a soloist and with Seventeen, Woozi has ...
,
Bumzu
Kye Beom-ju (Hangul: 계범주, born November 8, 1991), better known by the stage name Bumzu (Hangul: 범주), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was a contestant on '' Superstar K4'' and released his debut album, ''S ...
,
August Rigo
Dan August Rigo (born August 6, 1986) is a Filipino-Canadian recording artist, songwriter, producer and musician. August Rigo is signed to a publishing contract with Sony/ATV as a songwriter.
Early life
Rigo was born on August 6, 1986, in Toront ...
, and Ploypaworawan Praison, the song is characterized by its Western guitar riffs and showcases a more mature side of the group, with their
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
featuring daring scenes set in a desert.
The song was met with generally positive reviews, winning two South Korean music program awards and being nominated for the
MTV Video Music Awards for Best K-Pop. Commercially, the song charted on the national charts of nine countries, including reaching number three on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
's
World Digital Song Sales
The World Digital Song Sales chart (formerly World Digital Songs) is a weekly record chart compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by '' Billboard'' magazine. Established in 2010—with the issue dated January 23—as one of 21 genre-specific s ...
chart and number one on Singapore's Regional chart. The music video also became Seventeen's fastest music video to reach 100 million views.
Background and release
In March, seven months after the release of their commercially successful EP ''
Attacca
A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mus ...
'', Pledis Entertainment announced that Seventeen would be releasing a studio album, their first since ''
An Ode
''An Ode'' is the third studio album by South Korean boy band Seventeen. It was released on September 16, 2019, through Pledis Entertainment. The album spawned two singles, "Hit" was released as the album's lead single on August 5, 2019, followed ...
'' (2019), in May. Following the release of the group's first English single "
Darl+ing" on April 15, the label confirmed that Seventeen would return on May 27 with their fourth studio album titled ''Face the Sun''.
On May 18, the album's
track list was released revealing "Hot" as the lead single. Teaser videos were released on the group's
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel on May 24 and May 25, revealing short snippets of the music video.
The group performed the song on South Korean music shows, including
''Music Bank'', ''
M Countdown
''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet. The show features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. It is broadcast from CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul.
Bro ...
'', and ''
Inkigayo
''Inkigayo'' ( ko, 인기가요; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who p ...
''.
On August 16, the group performed "Hot" on ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...
'', although group member Dino was missing, having contracted
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. The song was also used as their opening performance during the
'Be the Sun' World Tour.
Composition
"Hot" is characterized by its Western guitar riffs and
car alarm
A car alarm is an electronic device installed in a vehicle in an attempt to discourage theft of the vehicle itself, its contents, or both. Car alarms work by emitting high-volume sound (often a vehicle-mounted siren, klaxon, pre-recorded verbal ...
samples and features bass, drums and guitar.
The song begins with a "Wild West-inspired guitar strum"
and also makes use of
auto-tune
Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances.
Auto-Tu ...
and
beatboxing
Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. . It is composed in the key of
F minor with a
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...
of 113 beats per minutes. According to band member
Woozi
Lee Ji-hoon (; born November 22, 1996), better known by his stage name Woozi (), is a South Korean singer, songwriter and record producer. He is a member of the boy band Seventeen. Aside from his work as a soloist and with Seventeen, Woozi has ...
, who was involved in the song’s songwriting and production, the song was the last track to be written on ''Face the Sun''. In a press release, Woozi also noted that he "thought ‘Hot’ expressed exactly what Seventeen is like right now".
Music video
The song's music video is mainly set in a desert and construction site, and includes their intense choreography.
It unveils a more mature and ambitious side of the group compared to their previous releases, featuring a group member holding a smoking bullet in his mouth and another member flipping knives. The members are shown performing in the desert and on a set with a constructed sun; a giant sun appears near the former setting and the latter explodes as sparks fly. The music video reached 100 million views on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
on January 15, becoming the fastest music video for the band to reach the feat.
Critical reception
"Hot" was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. ''
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
''
's Neil Z. Yeung called the song a standout in the album, describing it as one of the "absolutely rousing doses of energy and catchy hooks". Abby Webster from ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' criticized the song for being "overly repetitive", although also writing that it "lazes forward into new territory with its brazen sensuality." Describing the group's performance of the song at the
Prudential Center during their world tour, Crystal Bell of
''Nylon'' wrote that the song, "with its signature hip swivel and body roll choreography, when combined with the madcap energy of its production, ignited the arena."
''
Teen Vogue
''Teen Vogue'' is an American online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'', targeted at teenagers. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and celebrities. Since ...
'' included the song in their list of "The 79 Best K-pop Songs of 2022", with Natasha Mulenga writing that the "'Hot' is the song that grips you by the back of your neck, looks you dead in the eye and declares 'I’m the captain now.'"
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' ranked "Hot" number 38 in their list of the 100 Best Songs of 2022.
Accolades
"Hot" won two first place music program awards on ''
M Countdown
''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet. The show features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. It is broadcast from CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul.
Bro ...
'' and ''
Music Bank'' on June 2 and 3, 2022, respectively.
"Hot" won two awards at the 2022 Asian Pop Music Awards: Top 20 Songs of the Year – Overseas and Best Dance Performance – Overseas. It was also nominated for
Best K-Pop at the
2022 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2022 MTV Video Music Awards were held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey on August 28, 2022. The show was emceed by LL Cool J, Nicki Minaj, and Jack Harlow. Minaj was honored with the Video Vanguard Award, pr ...
and Song of the Year – May at the
Circle Chart Music Awards
The Circle Chart Music Awards (), formerly known as the Gaon Chart Music Awards, are a major music awards ceremony that is presented annually in South Korea by the Korea Music Content Association primarily based on the commercial performance of t ...
.
Charts
Weekly charts
Monthly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Seventeen (band)
K-pop songs
Korean songs
2022 songs
2022 singles
South Korean songs
Pop songs
South Korean pop songs
Seventeen (South Korean band) songs
Hybe Corporation singles
South Korean hip hop songs