Alright. Strap in, k-dreamers. This article will be a little different from others. You see, a thought kept crossing my mind while I was listening to “Hot Candy” by Hot Issue. This sounds like a song that would be a fan favourite in a survival show. You could say that I got the “taste of a vibe”. Well, I guess I gotta do some research to find out why.
Here’s a quick history of survival show songs.
Just a note: when I say “survival show” I’m mainly referring to the Produce Series (and Girls Planet 999 which is pretty much considered the fifth season). In the first season of Produce 101, no one knew which song would be a hit and win first place. Ultimately, songs like “Yum-Yum” (trap pop) and “In The Same Place” (girlish pop) were asked for encores. Since then, people in subsequent seasons have tried to replicate their success by releasing similar songs. They were either fun and catchy, or powerful and heartwarming. “Never” went the powerful and heartwarming route and ended up winning the concept evaluation in Season 2.
Another favourite that season was “Open Up“, a future EDM song. “Hot Candy” by Hot Issue reminded me of this song. Since Season 2, sexy and badass songs have become a staple in survival shows (does “Fingertips” from Season 1 count?). That’s how we ended up with songs like “Rumor” in Produce 48, “U Got It” in Produce X 101, and “Snake” in Girls Planet 999. All of those songs were fan favourites to win (but “U Got It” was the only one that did). “Move” from Produce X 101 was also a fan favourite, but that song is more on the badass side.
“Hot Candy” has the structure of a survival show song.
So now we know that “Hot Candy” has the right concept to become a survival show fan favourite. But not any song with this concept is suited for a survival show. There is something about the structure of “Hot Candy” that also gives me “the taste of a vibe”. It has a slow and impactful beginning. That “You ready?” from Mayna is everything. The song has a nice balance of rap parts and singing parts, perfect for survival show trainees to show their skills. The vocal range sounds challenging enough and I can see all of the vocally-talented contestants fighting over Yewon’s high note. I guess this is all to say that “Hot Candy” does an amazing job at highlighting Hot Issue’s talent and charisma.
Honourable Mentions: Laboum – Kiss Kiss, MJ ft. Kim Tae-yeon – Get Set Yo (stellar vocals from Laboum, as always!)
If you like this song, check out: Soyou ft. Sik-K – All Night (2018), Ailee – Room Shaker (2019), Stray Kids – Easy (2020)
It’s been a long time since a review has gotten me this fired up to do research. I just had to gush about this song! What do you think of “Hot Candy” by Hot Issue? Let me know in the comments!