all caps
In typography, text or font in all caps (short for "all capitals") contains capital letters without any lowercase letters. For example: All-caps text can be seen in legal documents, advertisements, newspaper headlines, and the titles on book co ...
) is a single by South Korean boy group Seventeen, released by Pledis Entertainment through YG Plus. It was released as the title track of their studio album, '' Face the Sun'', on May 27, 2022. Written by Woozi, Bumzu, August Rigo, 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 that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
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 advertis ...
'''s World Digital Song Sales 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 is encountered in Sheet music, printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms Italian musical terms used in English, are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conv ...
'', Pledis Entertainment announced that Seventeen would be releasing a studio album, their first since '' An Ode'' (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
In the field of sound recording and reproduction, a track listing (also called a track list or tracklist) is a list created in connection with a recorded medium to indicate the contents of that medium and their order. The most typical usage of a t ...
was released revealing "Hot" as the lead single. Teaser videos were released on the group's
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
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'', and ''
Inkigayo
''Inkigayo'' (; 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 perform on stage. ...
''. On August 16, the group performed "Hot" on '' Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', although group member Dino was missing, having contracted
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
. 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 samples and features bass, drums and guitar. The song begins with a "Wild West-inspired guitar strum" and also makes use of auto-tune and
beatboxing
Beatboxing (also, and sometimes, called beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (usually a Roland TR-808, TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.F minor with a
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
of 113 beats per minutes. According to band member Woozi, 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 Vernon holding a smoking bullet in his mouth and The8 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 an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
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 database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
'''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, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' 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
Prudential Center is a multipurpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey, United States. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL), the New York Sirens of the Pro ...
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 progressive online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to '' Vogue'', targeted at teenage girls and young women. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and ...
'' 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, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' 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'' 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 and Song of the Year – May at the Circle Chart Music Awards.