Le Sserafim returns with 'Hot'

Le Sserafim is back, this time with some heat.

At 1 p.m. Friday, the K-pop girl group released its fifth EP "Hot," which explores the passionate emotions of giving one's whole heart to what they love.

This new album marks the final installment of a trilogy following the group's third and fourth mini albums "Easy" and "Crazy," released in 2024.

"We've finally reached the last chapter of our trilogy — 'Easy,' 'Crazy' and now 'Hot.' We prepared this album based on the lessons we learned from all the experiences we had last year. We’ll give our all to these promotions as well," said Huh Yunjin during a press conference on Friday at Yes 24 Live Hall in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, shortly before the EP's release.

Planned as a trilogy project since 2023, "Easy" explores the anxieties and uncertainties behind the stage, while "Crazy" expresses a desire to break free from these fears. "Hot" takes it further, portraying a passionate attitude of diving into what they love and willingly embracing the outcome.

The album features five tracks, including the title track "Hot," a pop song infused with rock and disco elements, as well as "Born Fire," which stands out with its narration in Korean, English and Japanese. Another track, "So Cynical," co-written by Kim Chaewon, Huh Yunjin and Hong Eunchae, encourages listeners to dive fearlessly into love.

Regarding the title track, Kazuha explained, "It’s a song about burning everything for what you love. It’s also the first time we’re doing a love song as a title track, which makes it special." She continued, "When I first heard this song, I imagined driving with a cool breeze hitting my face. It’s powerful yet sentimental, which I think suits our team well."

Huh Yunjin, who participated in producing the title track, recalled the challenges of the process: "Being involved in the title track was an honor, and I wanted to give it my all. I was especially curious about how it would sound when the members sang it, so that was my biggest focus while working on it."

The youngest member Hong Eunchae shared her connection to the album, saying, "The new album is special to me because I turned 20 and prepared it with a fresh start in mind." She added, "We’ve taken on many new genres in this album, so please look forward to it."

Following their album release, Le Sserafim is set to embark on its first world tour, "Easy Crazy Hot." The tour will begin April 19-20 at Inspire Arena, Incheon, and take them to Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand and more. "We want people to say, 'Le Sserafim is a group you have to see on stage.' Many fans have been waiting for this world tour, so we’ll make sure to put on a flawless performance," said Kazuha.