The mini 5th album of LE SSERAFIM, ‘HOT’, topped Japan’s Oricon Daily Album Ranking on its release day, selling 69,291 copies. While the song received praise for its quality and styling, some fans were concerned about its short length and the group’s weaker performance in Korea. Despite this, international attention and IROHA of ILLIT’s support continue to boost excitement around HOT.
LE SSERAFIM and HOT Dominate Oricon Rankings
LE SSERAFIM achieved an impressive milestone by topping Japan’s Oricon Daily Album Ranking with their mini 5th album ‘HOT.’ According to Source Music, the album sold 69,291 copies on its release day, March 15, securing the No. 1 spot on the Oricon Daily Album Ranking. This accomplishment marks LE SSERAFIM’s sixth consecutive No. 1 ranking on the chart, starting from their debut album ‘FEARLESS’ and followed by ‘ANTIFRAGILE,’ ‘UNFORGIVEN,’ ‘EASY,’ ‘CRAZY,’ and now ‘HOT.’
HOT’s Popularity on Spotify and Music Shows
The title track ‘HOT’ also received enthusiastic responses from fans. On the same day of its release, the song achieved 64,527 plays on Spotify Japan’s ‘Daily Top Songs’ chart, securing the No. 3 spot, ahead of entries from the United States and Canada. Additionally, it ranked 94th on Japan’s ‘Daily Top Songs’ chart on March 15, making it into the charts for two consecutive days.
LE SSERAFIM continued to dominate music show stages with ‘Come Over’ and ‘HOT.’ Their dynamic styling, featuring retro outfits, trench coats, and leather jackets, amplified the song’s appeal. The ‘HOT’ stage performance on KBS2’s ‘Music Bank’ garnered 1.44 million views on the broadcasting network’s YouTube channel, while the SBS ‘Inkigayo’ fancam surpassed 80,000 views, highlighting the song’s massive popularity. Furthermore, the ‘Music Bank’ stage ranked high on Korea’s trending videos on YouTube.
LE SSERAFIM and HOT Receive Mixed Reactions
The song ‘HOT’ has also drawn positive feedback from fans and netizens on Korean online communities like MLBPARK. Many praised the song’s quality and noted its distinction from LE SSERAFIM’s usual style, comparing it to girl group songs from the 2010s. Despite some viewers feeling that the song’s length of 2 minutes and 24 seconds was too short, fans defended this trend, explaining that many recent songs are around this length.
Fans also expressed mixed feelings about LE SSERAFIM’s performance in the domestic market. While the group has shown strong international success, some fans feel their achievements in Korea are comparatively lacking. They hope Source Music and its parent company HYBE will put more effort into promoting the group in the Korean market.
ILLIT’s IROHA Shows Support for HOT
Fans found joy in seeing IROHA, a member of the popular girl group ILLIT, sharing an image of herself streaming ‘HOT.’ This interaction further boosted excitement among fans and demonstrated the song’s reach beyond LE SSERAFIM’s immediate audience. While fans continue to celebrate the success of ‘HOT’ globally, they eagerly await stronger promotion efforts from Source Music and HYBE to enhance the group’s performance within Korea.
Thank you so much for reading this post! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to share them in the comments!