Hot Sauce (song) explained

Hot Sauce
Cover:NCT Dream Hot Sauce cover.jpg
Caption:iScreaM project cover
Type:single
Artist:NCT Dream
Album:Hot Sauce
Length:3:15
Composer:
  • Martin Wave
  • Tinashe Sibanda
  • Philip Kembo
  • Rosina "Soaky Siren" Russell
  • John Mitchell
  • Ninos Hanna
  • Yoo Young-jin
Lyricist:
Chronology:NCT Dream
Prev Title:Ridin'
Prev Year:2020
Next Title:Hello Future
Next Year:2021

"Hot Sauce" is a song recorded by South Korean boy group NCT Dream for their first studio album of the same name. It was released digitally on May 10, 2021, by SM Entertainment. It became the first trilingual song to enter the Billboard Global 200.[1]

Composition

"Hot Sauce" was composed by Martin Wave, Tinashe Sibanda, Philip Kembo, Rosina "Soaky Siren" Russell, John Mitchell, Ninos Hanna, Yoo Young-jin, while production was handled by Lee Soo-man.[2] [3] Musically, the song is described as "Latin music with Afrobeat-tinged hip-hop song".[4] It features a "minimal track contrast with repetitive chanting and chilling vibes in the chorus".[5] The track was composed in the key of F-sharp major, with a tempo of 100 beats per minute.[6]

Critical reception

Kim Sung-yeop of IZM noted the song as it "expresses only the passionate energy and playful, kitsch charm of NCT Dream", adding that it does not match any of the group's existing styles and has a clear presence as the first song to mark a new beginning.[7] Rhian Daly of NME described the track as "vibrant and exuberant", further adding that "the very SM experimentalism that courses through it elevates it into something more weighty and developed".[8]

"Hot Sauce" was ranked among the best K-pop songs of 2021 by Spotify (5th),[9] Billboard (7th),[10] Young Post (8th),[11] and Dazed (20th).[12] CNN Philippines included it as a honorable mention.[13]

Commercial performance

"Hot Sauce" debuted at number one on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart with chart issue dated May 9–15, 2021, giving the group their first number-one song on the chart.[14] [15] It also debuted atop the Download Chart and BGM Chart.[16] [17] [18] The song debuted at number 37 on the component Streaming Chart, and peaked at number 31.[19] [20] The song entered the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 at number 39, and peaked at number 18.[21] [22]

In the United States, "Hot Sauce" debuted at number eight on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales.[23] The single debuted at number 96 on the Billboard Global 200 making it the first song in three languages to enter the chart.[24] The song also debuted at number 51 on the Billboard Global Excl. US.[25]

On the year-end charts, Hot Sauce became NCT Dream and NCT's first entry on the yearly Gaon Digital Chart.

Music video

The music video for "Hot Sauce" is set in a taqueria where the group are tasting their own specialty hot sauce and begins pouring the spicy dressing all over their food.[26] [27] Following the music video's release, Gladys Yeo of NME described it as a "vibrant and whimsical video". Tássia Assis of Teen Vogue noted the "psychedelic TV ad-meets-taquería" of the visual.[28] NCT Dream released two dance practice videos on May 23, 2021.

Accolades

"Hot Sauce" received eight music program awards, including a triple crown on M Countdown. It was nominated for Best Dance Performance – Male Group at the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards.[29]

Program! width="120"
Date
Show ChampionMay 19, 2021[30]
M CountdownMay 20, 2021[31]
May 27, 2021[32]
June 3, 2021[33]
Music BankMay 21, 2021[34]
May 28, 2021[35]
Show! Music CoreMay 22, 2021[36]
InkigayoMay 23, 2021[37]

Pinkfong version

Global entertainment company SmartStudy released a Pinkfong-style version of "Hot Sauce" on May 28, 2021, at 7:00PM KST .[38] According to the chief executive officer of SmartStudy, Kim Min-seok, said that they "have created a special gift for all families and fans out there, regardless of age", further adding that they are "always looking to create opportunities" where they can bring joy to their fans around the world and across generations.[39] The version features a special episode of NCT Dream appearing as Pinkfong dinosaur characters that crash-landed in the Age of Dinosaurs.[40] Korean and English versions of the animation videos were released.[41]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Hot Sauce.

Studio

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2021)! scope="col"
Peakposition
Global 200 (Billboard)[42] 96
Japan (Japan Hot 100)[43] 44
Singapore (RIAS)[44] 30
South Korea (Gaon)1
South Korea (K-pop Hot 100)18
US World Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[45] 8

Monthly charts

Chart (2021)! scope="col"
Peak
position
South Korea (Gaon)[46] 14

Year-end charts

Chart (2021)! scope="col"
Position
South Korea (Gaon)[47] 166

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormatLabel
VariousMay 10, 2021

See also

Notes and References

  1. NCT Dream Tease Second Album 'Glitch Mode,' Talk Pressures About Upcoming Release. Dailey. Hannah. February 28, 2022. Billboard. March 25, 2022. live. March 22, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220322114805/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/nct-dream-tease-new-album-pressures-of-second-album-1235037131/.
  2. Web site: May 10, 2021. Credits / Hot Sauce - The 1st Album. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210601061023/https://listen.tidal.com/album/182748203/credits. June 1, 2021. June 1, 2021. Tidal. en.
  3. Hot Sauce. NCT Dream. 2021. Credits. photobook. SM Entertainment, Dreamus. South Korea.
  4. News: Dong. Sun-hwa. May 10, 2021. Why is 'Hot Sauce' so precious to NCT DREAM?. The Korea Times. June 1, 2021. May 14, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210514010717/https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2021/05/732_308608.html. live.
  5. News: Hong. Hye-min. April 21, 2021. ko:NCT DREAM, 새 타이틀 곡은 '맛'. ko. NCT DREAM, New Title Track 'Hot Sauce'. Hankook Ilbo. June 1, 2021.
  6. Web site: Key & BPM for Hot Sauce by NCT DREAM. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210601161618/https://tunebat.com/Info/Hot-Sauce-NCT-DREAM/6B8MM3PVQtUbZLay7tP7er. June 1, 2021. June 1, 2021. Tunebat.
  7. Web site: Kim. Sung-yeop. May 2021. Neo Music Communication IZM. ko:맛 (Hot Sauce) 리뷰. Hot Sauce Review. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210517194828/http://izm.co.kr/contentRead.asp?idx=30683&bigcateidx=1&subcateidx=3&view_tp=1. May 17, 2021. May 30, 2021. IZM. ko.
  8. Web site: Daly. Rhian. May 14, 2021. NCT Dream – 'Hot Sauce' review: a spicy and sweet smorgasbord from the youngest of SM's boyband clan. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210516034827/https://www.nme.com/en_asia/reviews/album/nct-dream-hot-sauce-review-2940754. May 16, 2021. May 30, 2021. NME. en.
  9. Web site: Suacillo . Angela Patricia . December 21, 2021 . Spotify names aespa's 'Next Level' as the best K-pop song of 2021 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211221124233/https://www.nme.com/news/music/spotify-names-aespa-next-level-best-k-pop-song-of-2021-3123584 . December 21, 2021 . December 21, 2021 . NME . en-GB.
  10. December 17, 2021 . 25 Best K-Pop Songs of 2021: Critics' Picks . live . Billboard . en-US . https://web.archive.org/web/20211218030559/https://www.billboard.com/lists/best-kpop-songs-2021-year-end/ . December 18, 2021 . December 18, 2021.
  11. Tamang . Angelika . Mook . Janice . Lu . Clara Ki . December 20, 2021 . 15 best K-pop songs of 2021: BTS' Butter, Lisa's Lalisa, IU's Celebrity, Itzy's Loco and more . Young Post . December 27, 2021.
  12. Web site: December 20, 2021 . The best K-pop tracks of 2021 . December 20, 2021 . Dazed.
  13. Web site: December 24, 2021 . Our favorite K-pop songs of 2021 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20211224044033/https://cnnphilippines.com/life/entertainment/Music/2021/12/23/kpop-best-of-2021.html . December 24, 2021 . December 25, 2021 . CNN Philippines . en.
  14. Web site: May 9–15, 2021. ko:2021년 20주차 Digital Chart. 2021, Week 20 Digital Chart. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210520020956/http://gaonchart.co.kr/main/section/chart/online.gaon?nationGbn=T&serviceGbn=ALL&targetTime=20&hitYear=2021&termGbn=week. May 20, 2021. May 29, 2021. Gaon Music Chart. ko.
  15. Web site: McIntyre. Hugh. May 20, 2021. NCT Dream Scores Their First No. 1 Hit In Korea With 'Hot Sauce'. live. https://archive.today/20210530121732/https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2021/05/20/nct-dream-scores-their-first-no-1-hit-in-korea-with-hot-sauce/?sh=104ebef34964. May 30, 2021. May 30, 2021. Forbes. en.
  16. Web site: McIntyre. Hugh. May 20, 2021. Oh My Girl, NCT Dream, Kang Daniel, Baekhyun And Oneus: This Week's 10 Bestselling Singles In Korea. live. https://archive.today/20210530124000/https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2021/05/20/oh-my-girl-nct-dream-kang-daniel-baekhyun-and-oneus-this-weeks-10-bestselling-singles-in-korea/?sh=7661de69419a. May 30, 2021. May 30, 2021. Forbes. en.
  17. Web site: May 9–15, 2021. ko:2021년 20주차 Download Chart. 2021, Week 20 Download Chart. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210520021534/http://gaonchart.co.kr/main/section/chart/online.gaon?nationGbn=T&serviceGbn=S1020&targetTime=20&hitYear=2021&termGbn=week. May 20, 2021. May 30, 2021. Gaon Music Chart. ko.
  18. Web site: May 9–15, 2021. ko:2021년 20주차 BGM Chart. 2021, Week 20 BGM Chart. live. May 30, 2021. May 30, 2021. Gaon Music Chart. ko. https://web.archive.org/web/20210530125651/http://gaonchart.co.kr/main/section/chart/online.gaon?nationGbn=T&serviceGbn=S1060&targetTime=20&hitYear=2021&termGbn=week.
  19. Web site: May 9–15, 2021. ko:2021년 20주차 Streaming Chart. 2021, Week 20 Streaming Chart. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210520021910/http://gaonchart.co.kr/main/section/chart/online.gaon?nationGbn=T&serviceGbn=S1040&targetTime=20&hitYear=2021&termGbn=week. May 20, 2021. May 30, 2021. Gaon Music Chart. ko.
  20. Web site: May 16–22, 2021. ko:2021년 21주차 Streaming Chart. 2021, Week 21 Streaming Chart. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210529142646/http://gaonchart.co.kr/main/section/chart/online.gaon?nationGbn=T&serviceGbn=S1040&targetTime=21&hitYear=2021&termGbn=week. May 29, 2021. May 30, 2021. Gaon Music Chart. ko.
  21. Billboard K-Pop 100 – The Week of May 22, 2021. subscription. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210520034409/https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-korea-100/2021-05-22. May 20, 2021. May 30, 2021. Billboard.
  22. Billboard K-Pop 100 – The Week of May 29, 2021. subscription. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210529092223/https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-korea-100/2021-05-29. May 29, 2021. May 29, 2021. Billboard.
  23. Web site: McIntyre. Hugh. May 24, 2021. Monsta X, Baekhyun, NCT Dream And Arash Refresh Nearly Half Of This Week's World Songs Chart. live. https://archive.today/20210531030509/https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2021/05/24/monsta-x-baekhyun-nct-dream-and-arash-refresh-nearly-half-of-this-weeks-world-songs-chart/?sh=437ec7b54a2b. May 31, 2021. May 31, 2021. Forbes. en.
  24. Frankenberg. Erik. May 19, 2021. NCT Dream Celebrates First Trilingual Hit on Global 200 With 'Hot Sauce'. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210519231603/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9575230/nct-dream-hot-sauce-debuts-on-global-charts. May 19, 2021. May 30, 2021. Billboard. en.
  25. Billboard Global Excl. US – The Week of May 22, 2021. subscription. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210519154535/https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-global-excl-us/2021-05-22. May 19, 2021. May 31, 2021. Billboard.
  26. Mamo. Heran. May 10, 2021. NCT Dream Drop 'Hot Sauce' Debut Album & Music Video: Stream Now. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210510205756/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/9570141/nct-dream-debut-album-hot-sauce-stream. May 10, 2021. May 31, 2021. Billboard. en.
  27. Web site: Yeo. Gladys. May 10, 2021. Watch NCT Dream take over a taqueria in whimisical 'Hot Sauce' music video. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210601092456/https://www.nme.com/news/music/nct-dream-hot-sauce-comeback-first-studio-album-2933786. June 1, 2021. May 31, 2021. NME. en-GB.
  28. Web site: Assis. Tássia. May 10, 2021. NCT Dream Is All Grown Up and Ready to Show What They Can Do. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210510163026/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/nct-dream-talk-new-album-hot-sauce-interview-2021. May 10, 2021. May 31, 2021. Teen Vogue. en-US.
  29. Web site: Basbas . Franchesca Judine . November 3, 2021 . Here are the nominees for the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards – BTS, IU, TXT, DAY6, TWICE, SEVENTEEN, NCT 127, AESPA, and more . November 3, 2021 . Bandwagon Asia.
  30. News: Cho. Eun-mi. May 19, 2021. ko:'쇼챔' NCT DREAM '맛' 컴백 첫 1위..오마이걸 컴백→우주소녀 더블랙 데뷔. ko. NCT DREAM's 'Hot Sauce' Wins 1st Place for the First Time in 'Show Champion', OH MY GIRL's Comeback → WJSN THE BLACK's Debut. HeraldPop. May 29, 2021. https://archive.today/20210529151001/http://pop.heraldcorp.com/view.php?ud=202105191900284712513_1. May 29, 2021. live.
  31. News: Shin. So-won. May 20, 2021. ko:엔시티드림 1위 트로피 "우리 7명 1위, 처음이다" ('엠카'). ko. NCT DREAM's 1st Place Trophy on 'M Countdown', "Seven of us are number one for the first time.". Ten Asia. May 29, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210520140709/https://tenasia.hankyung.com/music/article/2021052033114. May 20, 2021.
  32. News: Kim. Soo-hyung. May 27, 2021. ko:"시즈니♥" '음방6관왕' NCT DREAM, 5월 마지막 1위로 막방→오마이걸도 굿바이 ('엠카'). ko. "NCTzen♥" '6 Music Show Awards' NCT DREAM Wins 1st Place at Last Broadcast → OH MY GIRL's Goodbye Stage on 'M Countdown'. Osen. May 29, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210529155322/https://osen.mt.co.kr/article/G1111588015. May 29, 2021.
  33. News: Jung. Hye-yeon. June 3, 2021. ko:'엠카' NCT DREAM, '맛' 트리플크라운 달성..마마무→투바투 컴백. ko. NCT DREAM's 'Hot Sauce' Triple Crown on 'M Countdown', MAMAMOO → Tomorrow X Together Comeback. HeraldPop. June 3, 2021. https://archive.today/20210603120836/http://pop.heraldcorp.com/view.php?ud=202106031858468622367_1. June 3, 2021.
  34. Web site: May 25, 2021. ko:5월 3주 뮤직뱅크 순위 세부. Music Bank's Ranking for the Week of May 3. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210525024803/https://pbbs.kbs.co.kr/general/read.html?bbs_id=T2000-0027-04-641103&id=1046920&post_no=440&page=1&post_header=. May 25, 2021. May 30, 2021. Digital KBS. ko.
  35. News: Shim. Min-kyung. May 28, 2021. ko:[뮤직뱅크] NCT DREAM, 2주 연속 1위! <맛(Hot Sauce)>. ko. [Music Bank] NCT DREAM Won 1st Place for Two Consecutive Weeks! . KBS Media. May 29, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210529160103/https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=438&aid=0000035874. May 29, 2021.
  36. News: Lee. Ha-na. May 22, 2021. ko:'음중' NCT DREAM 1위 "처음으로 이룬 것 많아"‥태민 입대 앞두고 컴백. ko. NCT DREAM Wins 1st Place in 'Show! Music Core' "First time we've achieved a lot", Taemin Comeback Before Joining the Army. Newsen. May 30, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210522080445/https://www.newsen.com/news_view.php?uid=202105221532292510. May 22, 2021.
  37. News: Lee. Mi-young. May 23, 2021. ko:NCT DREAM, '인기가요' 첫 1위…"멤버들에게 고맙다". ko. NCT DREAM's 1st Win on 'Inkigayo', "Thanks to the members.". JoyNews24. May 30, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210530012811/http://www.joynews24.com/view/1369277. May 30, 2021.
  38. News: May 27, 2021. Pinkfong Releases Official Animated Music Video for NCT DREAM's 'Hot Sauce'. Yahoo! Finance. May 31, 2021. June 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210601161615/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/pinkfong-releases-official-animated-music-013000650.html. live.
  39. News: Hicap. Jonathan. May 28, 2021. Pinkfong to release animated music video of NCT Dream's 'Hot Sauce' tonight. Manila Bulletin. May 31, 2021. May 27, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210527231713/https://mb.com.ph/2021/05/28/pinkfong-to-release-animated-music-video-of-nct-dreams-hot-sauce-tonight/. live.
  40. News: Byun. Hye-jin. May 28, 2021. Smartstudy drops animated version of NCT Dream's 'Hot Sauce'. The Korea Herald. May 31, 2021. May 31, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210531035403/http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20210528000762. live.
  41. News: Yong. Won-jung. May 27, 2021. ko:NCT DREAM 멤버들, 핑크퐁 캐릭터로 탄생...'맛' 애니영상 공개. ko. NCT DREAM Members, Born as Pinkfong Characters, Release of 'Hot Sauce' Animation Film. Single List. May 31, 2021. May 26, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210526234625/http://www.slist.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=254426. live.
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  44. Web site: May 14–20, 2021. RIAS Top Streaming Chart – Week 20 (14 - 20 May 2021). dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20210527060342/https://www.rias.org.sg/rias-top-charts/. May 27, 2021. May 29, 2021. Recording Industry Association Singapore.
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