LA artist Samantha Margret’s new single “hot enough” burns with a white-hot intensity that’s reminiscent of Canadian poet Rupi Kaur and early Patti Smith. It’s actually a primal poem augmented with some minimalist production like finger snaps, drum beats and bass. The result is chilling yet astonishing – a heart-cry for women who are tired of constantly calibrating their “hotness”.
“hot enough” conveys the lived experience of a woman trapped in a no-win situation. As the song builds to a desperate crescendo, the singer reveals that emulating Addison Rae can have dangerous consequences.
The artist says: “I wanted to write a piece that captured the feeling of internalized misogyny as it takes root over time. ‘hot enough’ started from there. It increases in tempo dramatically from the beginning to the end. Even now, that makes my adrenaline spike every time I hear it. Once I had that concept, I kept collecting images from my own childhood and adolescence as well as the stories of friends and family. Writing it helped me look a lot of memories in the eye. It externalized something truly disgusting and disfigured that I had taken into myself.”
Samantha Margret’s scalding single “RAGE” was released in 2022 on the same day that Roe v Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court. That song struck a nerve with listeners worldwide and has received nearly seven million streams on Spotify.
We seem to be at a crossroads in pop music today. Listeners (of all genders) need the counterbalance of artists like Samantha Margret because the Tate McRae/look-at-me path often leads to regrets and real danger.
Listen to “hot enough” below, or find it on the streaming services.
