Hot & Ash: Embracing The Flame, Rising From the Ashes, and Blooming Into Who We Were Meant To Be

An analysis of two of the songs from Le Sserafim’s ‘Hot’

By now, I think we’ve established that I love songs that tell a story. I always admire artists who can weave their own personal stories and journeys through the lyrics of their songs. There is, no doubt, a lot of music out there in the world, but very few catch my attention for their poetic devices and personal storytelling.

The music of BTS and the solo work of RM are two examples of music that have become dear to me because of the heart and beauty interwoven throughout the lyrics and the melodies. Other than the aforementioned music, I haven’t listened to many other k-pop groups.

When Le Sserafim’s new album, “Hot,” was announced, I was intrigued by the teasers and the sound bites posted by their social media. Once the album released, I listened to the full thing all at once, quickly finding myself drawn to “Hot” and “Ash.”

I listened to these songs over and over, feeling a piece of myself connecting to the lyrics, though I hadn’t yet looked up the lyrics to fully understand the meaning behind these songs.

Music is truly universal. It doesn’t matter if the lyrics are in our native language, a language we are learning, or a language we don’t understand at all. There are just times where the songs grab ahold of you, and you feel like it was written for you as a way to inspire, encourage, motivate, comfort… the list truly goes on and on.

When I finally sat down to look up the meanings behind “Hot” and “Ash,” I was completely blown away. I was taken aback by the depth of the lyrics, and instantly knew I had to write about these songs.

Hot

On the surface, “Hot,” could just be taken as a hype girl, boss babe, pretty girl song. It’s fun, it has a great beat, and it makes you want to dance! It certainly has a driving-down-the-highway-in-the-summer-with-the-windows-down-singing-at-the-top-of-your-lungs vibe.

The lyrics, however, pack quite a punch. “Hot” has both a Korean and English version, and the message is slightly different in each. While I do love both versions, the English version is the one that I will be referencing in this Substack.

The Korean version of “Hot” is more of a love song, while the English version was, to me, a personal fight song.

“Shades on my eyes, cover my tears

You see the smile, I feel the fear so

Paint my lips red, throw on some heels

Hold up my head and tonight, I’ll remind myself that”

These first few lines are so beautiful. I think these lyrics so perfectly encapsulate that even the most confident people feel fear and doubt too. Through the highlight reel of social media, it’s easy to look at another person through the safety of our screens and allow ourselves to believe that everything is easy for them or that they don’t have any fear.

I know for myself, I always feel afraid before doing something new. Learning Korean? It’s difficult to allow yourself to be vulnerable enough to make mistakes in the process of learning. Travel to a new country? It’s scary being away from what and who you know and allowing yourself to be vulnerable and figure it out. Make new friends? Go on a first date? All of these things are scary, but pushing past the fear allows us to have experiences and make memories we never would otherwise.

Sometimes, the best way to do that is to put on some lipstick, take a deep breath, and just go for it!

“I’m burning hot, there’s a fire living inside me

And it won’t burn out after dark

So tonight, I’m not gonna fight it

Bonnie and Clyde it.”

I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t get tears in my eyes when the chorus played. In this context, the fire would represent a dream, mission, or calling that all of us have. I really do believe that if we squash down that fire enough, be it through fear, self-doubt, or distractions, that fire will slowly fade away.

When thinking about it that way, I think it’s scarier to let that fire die rather than facing those little fears and proving to ourselves it’s not as scary as it seems on the surface and that we have what it takes. The members of Le Sserafim, who experienced their own fears and difficulties as a group this past year, are showing that their fire is burning so bright that it will still be visible during the dark times, and that fire is something worth fighting for.

In a letter she wrote to fans (called FEARNOT) following the release of the album, Le Sserafim member Huh Yunjin (who was also a major part of the writing process for this album) spoke of the difficult year the band had before releasing “Hot.”

“I remember fear of the end,” she wrote in English. “That what started as the small fire of my dreams had gotten so uncontrollably big that I was losing everything I knew. How is this surviving, when I feel like I am dying? But what surviving really is, the past year has taught me, is an experience contingent on accepting a kind of death. Just as building muscle is feeling weak and building knowledge is feeling dumb, fighting to exist is allowing yourself to fall apart … Even the tear-stained pages of my diary, they all had the claw marks of my love persevering. Love persevering — it is the embodiment of this album.”

As a side note, for international friends who may not know, Bonnie and Clyde are infamous outlaws who committed serious crimes during the Great Depression era (1930s) of the United States. When someone says they are going to “Bonnie and Clyde it,” they are basically saying they are embarking on a potentially dangerous, reckless, and adventurous path.

But doesn’t chasing after our calling feel this way? Dangerous and reckless, yes, but also beautiful and adventurous, all at the same time.

“Matches, gonna strike one, light up on my baggage

Imagine all the beautiful things that used to be ashes

Practice getting off the bench to work on myself

When it hurts like hell.”

Out of all the lyrics in this song, these particular lines are the ones that struck a chord with me the most.

When I went through a time of heartbreak a few years ago after ending a difficult relationship, the phrase “beauty from ashes,” was a consistent theme in my life. I had so many people say this phrase to me, my sister got me a necklace that said this, and it became something I held on to.

This phrase is also biblical. The phrase “beauty for ashes” is actually found in the book of Isaiah, where we are reminded that God promises to comfort those who mourn and turn their tears into joy.

“To appoint them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…”

Though we can exchange the ashes of heartbreak and pain for beauty, sometimes we need to fully let go of what those ashes represent, instead of holding onto them with both fists, fighting for what we thought we wanted or needed.

To do that, we need to “light up the baggage,” and walk away, fully ready to embrace the beauty that is awaiting us on the other side. This is what I believe is the core message of the English version of “Hot,” and it is one that will continue to be an inspiration for me as I continue finding the beauty in my own life.

The end of the song encourages listeners to fully grab onto their dream, even if that means embracing some fear, discomfort, and pain. The most beautiful moments in life happen when we just let go and be who we were created to be and when we are “struck like lightening, so ignited,” as the lyrics to beautifully describe it.

“Not running from it, not running from it

Who I’m becoming, I love it

Like it or not

I’m burning hot.”

Ash

“Ash” also has an incredibly beautiful meaning, and the theme and overall message isn’t that different from “Hot.”

While “Hot” is a fast-paced and a hype-vibe song, “Ash” would be more of what I would describe as soft and whimsical. This song is sung both in Korean and English, and the message behind the song is also powerful.

(Italicized lyrics are translated from Korean)

“11:11

When angels hover around my bed

I have a match on, I wish I was locked in the dark night

Get rid of my weakness

Make a new me.”

11:11 are angel numbers and are often thought of as a sign that you are on the right path or on the cusp of an awakening within yourself.

Ever since my sisters and I were little, we would make a wish whenever we happened to see 11:11 show up on the clock, no matter where we were. It is still something I do, even to this day!

Sometimes, to grow as individuals, to chase after our calling, or make a change in our life, we have to go through a painful time of realignment, something that is often compared to walking through fire or passing through flames.

“Pain means I am changing. What a beautiful exciting thing,” Yunjin said at the end of her letter. “Whoever I’m becoming, I’m sure I’ll learn to love her too.”

In this song, the listener is invited into the start of the singers’s change as she lights a match to burn the past. The first two lines of the song show that even through the discomfort, there are angels guiding her in the process of “making a new me,” something that is never easy.

The most difficult part of forming a new habit, creating a new path, or taking the first step toward a dream is merely starting. I often get so worked up about the process of starting that I allow myself to believe it’s going to be so much more difficult than it actually is.

This is illustrated through the song, as the first part showcases the fear of lighting the match to ignite the flame of a new story, while the moment the flame is lit, something different than expected occurs.

“I want you to stop time

The moment the flame burns me, finally, I can breathe

In a wave of pain, I’m turning into ashes

Live again

The more it hurts, the more alive I am

A new born in ashes, nothing lasts forever, baby

I’m about to bloom again, pour oil all over my body

Light the flame

I don’t wanna stop.”

Instead of facing the intense pain, fear, and damage she is expecting, she actually finds that she can breathe fully the moment the flame touches her skin. Though she turns to ashes, she is able to live again in a way she wasn’t able to before, fully blooming into who she was meant to be. Once again, beauty for ashes.

And though she was initially afraid, now she doesn’t want to stop the process she started after she finally found the bravery to light the match.

I think this is so true of life too. When we finally summon the courage to do what we were meant to do, amazing things occur. And while it isn’t always easy and can still hurt (as one cannot simply pass through the flames without emerging with at least a few burns) we find that we are happier and more fulfilled than we could ever imagine, something we would never experience if we weren’t able to find a sliver of hope and courage to just create a spark.

“So beautiful, new life

When new skin renewal on my body after

Peeling the old one

After midnight, a new life will begin

Spread my wings to a new day.”

Now that she’s started, she doesn’t want to stop embracing the flames and finally opening her wings to fly. No matter where her path leads, she knows that she will remain in this place of bravery, ready to pursue what comes her way, no matter how high the flames remain. We are and will always be in a constant state of change.

Even the me of last year is different from who I am today, and that is such a beautiful thing, to be constantly in a state of growing and changing, walking through the flames, and embracing where the path leads and the new versions of me I encounter along the way — someone who learns to fully experience true beauty, growth, love, life, and learns as she continues to journey through the beauty of every day.

I’m certainly not perfect at this and still have a long ways to go. Yet, after listening to these songs, I’ve found myself more inspired to keep taking the next step, even when it’s scary, and inspired to fall in love with the entire process of blooming, from flame to blossom.

“My footsteps will remain in the flames like this.”