Hotter than Hell (Dua Lipa song)


"Hotter than Hell" is a song by English singer Dua Lipa from her eponymous debut studio album. It was written by Lipa and Ritual band members Adam Midgley, Tommy Baxter and Gerard O'Connell, with Stephen "Koz" Kozmeniuk handling the production. The song was released for digital download and streaming on 6 May 2016 through Dua Lipa Limited, as the album's fourth single. "Hotter than Hell" is a blend of many genres including dance-pop, disco, EDM, electropop, R&B-house, and tropical house, while also including dancehall elements. Lyrically, the song sees her taunting an ex-boyfriend who cannot resist her love.
"Hotter than Hell" received mainly positive reviews from music critics, with many praising its tropical sound. It became Lipa's first entry on the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 15. The song also charted in the top 40 of Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovenia. "Hotter Than Hell" has been certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association and platinum by the British Phonographic Industry, respectively.
The music video for "Hotter than Hell" accompanied the song's release and was directed by Emil Nava. Filmed in a warehouse in London, the visual shows a dark party with several backgrounds and lighting, and features a disco ball. Lipa has promoted the single with live performances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, RTL Late Night, and Sommarkrysset.

Background and release

In 2013, Lipa met Ben Mawson and Ed Millett of Tap Management while holding meetings with other management companies. After recognising her talent, Mawson and Millett set up writing sessions for her, during which "Hotter than Hell" was written. The song was written by Lipa alongside Adam Midgley, Tommy Baxter and Gerard O'Connell of English electronic band Ritual, with Stephen Kozmeniuk, Jay Reynolds and Tom Neville respectively handling the production, additional production and vocal production. The writing began with just keys and a kick drum, with no production behind it. Lipa was inspired by a relationship where her boyfriend made her feel like she was not good enough. Lipa originally intended to scrap the song after struggling to figure out the chorus. However, she began scrolling through Tumblr where she saw the words 'Hotter than Hell' written in red on a black background. She then thought, "What if he thought I was hotter than hell, and I just didn't want him?" The collaborators then changed the meaning as if Lipa had the upper hand and her boyfriend couldn't get enough of her. Lipa stated that writing the song was "very therapeutic" for her.
"Hotter than Hell" was one of the first songs written for Lipa's 2017 eponymous debut studio album. It dictated what the rest of the album would sound like and when she figured out her dark pop genre. After hearing the song in 2015, Warner Music signed Lipa to a recording contract. Lipa first revealed that the song would serve as the fourth single from Dua Lipa in February 2016 in an interview with BBC. "Hotter than Hell" was released for digital download and streaming on 6 May 2016, through Lipa's independent record label, Dua Lipa Limited. It was serviced to contemporary hit radio formats in the United Kingdom and Italy. The track later appeared as the third track on Lipa's eponymous debut studio album, released on 2 June 2017. The song received several remixes, including ones by Miike Snow and Matoma. The Miike Snow remix slows down the tempo and warps it's melody, as well as including a disco groove. Lipa stated that the remix "makes wanna get up and dance" and Edwin Ortiz of Complex viewed it as "an equally satisfying performance that transports the original from the nightclub to a rooftop party in the city." For Billboard, Kat Bein stated that the Matoma remix is "for beach days in the burning sun and long drives in top-down convertibles."

Music and lyrics

"Hotter than Hell" is a dance-pop, disco, EDM, electropop, R&B-house, and tropical house track, with elements of dancehall. It is composed in time and the key of E minor, with a pop dance tempo of 110 beats per minute and a chord progression of Am–C–Em–D. The song has hip hop-influenced verses and pop choruses. The first verse, references the Arctic Monkeys' "505", where Lipa sings "you probably still adore me with my hands around your neck." Driven by marimbas and synthesizers, the production includes, steel-drum synth jabs, church organs, and a beat that spans house, pop and tropical genres and is created using a caribbean drum.
Lipa uses raspy alto vocals, spanning from E3 to D5. The song has themes of empowerment and Lipa channels a boyfriend that made her feel like she wasn't good enough. For The New York Times, Jon Pareles stated that the lyrics show Lipa " a lover who can't resist her," while Spins Brennan Carley labelled it "a narrative about heartache and, how easy it can be to take revenge when you're simply looking, hotter than hell."

Critical reception

"Hotter than Hell" received mainly positive reviews from music critics. In Rolling Stone, Ryan Reed labelled the song "steamy," while Spins Dan Weiss stated that it "promises big things for her self-titled debut album." Carley called it a "a sure sign that pop music has a bit of life and personality left in it." Joey Nolfi of Entertainment Weekly stated that Lipa makes the aging tropical musical trend sound "fresher than ever" while also writing that when listening, one " themselves on a sun-kissed club somewhere along the palm tree-lined shores of pop music Heaven." For Vulture, Justin McCraw stated that the song " with sex appeal" and "oozes desire and temptation" as well as recommending playing it "after coming back from the bar with your third drink." Bianca Gracie of Fuse labelled the song's themes "fiery" and "confident" and the beats "intense." For Idolator, Rachel Sonis called it "moody and infectious" and labelled the chorus "sweltering."
In Cosmopolitan, Eliza Thompson described it as a "soaring dance anthem" as well as calling Lipa's vocals "smoky." NMEs Thomas Smith labelled the song "a sultry and steamy pop scorcher fit for the devil's disco." Popjustice wrote it is "a good example of the 2016 tropical sound being weaved into a pop banger." For Clash, Alex Green viewed "Hotter than Hell" as the first track on Dua Lipa to "up the ante," but criticized it's lack of "genuine energy." Sean Ward of The 405 compared the song to the works of Rihanna, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears' "Gimme More". Ben Hogwood of musicOMH viewed "Hotter than Hell" as an initially "thrilling" song but stated that it becomes "brittle" on repeated listens. For The Line of Best Fit, Claire Biddles stated that Lipa embraces an "an unparalleled sexual deity" in the song. In The Guardian, Hannah J Davies praised the song for not "sounding too consciously trend-chasing." In April 2020, Glamours Christopher Rosa ranked "Hotter than Hell" as Lipa's ninth best song, calling it "sensual and steamy".

Accolades

Commercial performance

"Hotter than Hell" was a moderate commercial success in Europe and Oceania. The song became Lipa's first entry on the UK Singles Chart, where it debuted at number 50 on the chart dated 13 May 2016. On the chart dated 1 July 2016, the song rose to number 15, where it stayed for three consecutive weeks. It spent a total of 21 weeks on the chart. It was the most played song on BBC Radio 1 for four consecutive weeks and reach the biggest mover at commercial UK radio. "Hotter than Hell" has further peaked within the top 40 in Australia, Ireland and Scotland. It has been awarded several certifications; being certified platinum in the United Kingdom and gold in Australia by the British Phonographic Industry and Australian Recording Industry Association, respectively.

Music video

Background and reception

The music video for "Hotter than Hell" was premiered on Lipa's YouTube channel on 6 May 2016. It was directed by Emil Nava and filmed in a London warehouse. In the video, Lipa intended to show her idea of hell, which is the underbelly of London as well as showing her hometown's "lost kids." Parts of the video were filmed using Super 8mm film. Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone called the backgrounds "gorgeous," while Vs Layla Ilchi called the lighting "colorful" and "psychedelic." DIY called the video as a whole "surreal."

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Promonews.
The video is set in a warehouse, where a dark and sexy secret party is taking place. The party-goers are seen sitting on the floor and couches and a tube television appears on a stand in the middle. Lipa is seen walking into a red light and a party-goer sitting in a chair films the person across from them, before Lipa presses her hand against a brick wall. Lipa rolls a disco ball in her lap and seen in a dark room with a disco ball, before she is stands against a rainforest-painted wall. Lipa is then seen on a red throne, surrounded by the fellow party-goers. She is also seen standing in the middle of a room and flipping her hair in a blue-lit room before dancing in front of a brick wall with projections and singing on a magenta background. The party-goers are seen relaxing, filming, drawing tattoos and pouring glitter on one and other, and dancing. At one point, the party-goers film Lipa lying on a mattress.

Live performances

"Hotter than Hell" was included on the setlists of Lipa's Hotter Than Hell tour and The Self-Titled Tour. Lipa performed the song on the Dutch late-night talk show RTL Late Night on 2 June 2016. On 9 July, she performed it on the German game show Schlag den Star. Lipa performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 2 August, making her US television debut. She was backed by a drummer and two keyboardists and wore a thigh-high boots with a black mesh outfit. Sonis called the performance "smoldering," while Vs Gabriella Salkin called it "stellar." She also performed "Hotter than Hell" on the Swedish show Sommarkrysset on 13 August 2016. The song was also included on Lipa's MTV setlist performance, on 20 November 2016 at the Iridium in New York City.

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Dua Lipa.

Recording

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history