The song was written and produced by Play & Win members Sebastian Barac, Radu Bolfea and Marcel Botezan.

Musically, "Hot" is a trance-inspired electro house and popcorn song, with its instrumentation consisting of synthesizer sounds and trance beats.

One reviewer also compared "Hot" to the work of British rock band New Order and French disc jockey David Guetta.

Due to high sales, "Hot" was awarded Gold and Platinum certifications in Denmark, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

The first clip portrays a female nightclub dancer receiving cards from a supposed admirer, who then turns out to be her partner, while the second was meant to emphasize Inna's image.

Dutch DJ duo Blasterjaxx also notably remixed "Hot" for the 2016 Ultra Music Festival to positive response.

[11] "Hot" was entirely written and produced by Play & Win members Sebastian Barac, Radu Bolfea and Marcel Botezan, and was released as the first single from Inna's debut studio album of the same name (2009).

[16] BBC's Fraser McAlpine noticed that the singer "is clearly using the words to this song as a kind of percussion to break up the music", which contains "ticky" synthesizer sounds similar to German band Boney M.'s "Ma Baker" (1977), and "trancey, hypnotic" beats.

[17] "Hot" was part of a broader movement in which several Romanian popcorn songs would experience success internationally, promopting the genre to become mainstream.

"[2] Lester, writing for The Guardian, compared the recording to the work of "Ibiza-era" British rock band New Order and French disc jockey David Guetta.

[21] Neeti Sarkar of The Hindu thought that "Hot" had a "hypnotic rhythm" and "set[s] the dance floor on fire", although minorly criticizing its hook as repetitive.

[4] During an interview with Adevărul, Spanish musician Federico Albert criticized "Hot" as innovation loose, while noticing the lack of musical instruments.

[16] Other top 10 placements were achieved in countries including the Turkey,[29] Netherlands,[30] the Commonwealth of Independent States,[31] Czech Republic,[32] Hungary,[33] France,[34] the Flanders and Wallonia regions of Belgium,[35][36] and Ukraine; the song reached the latter nearly 13 years after its release.

[11][45] During an interview with Romanian website Divercity Cafe, Inna recalled of the filming session: "I felt very good, there were pleasant and unpleasant happenings that I went through [...].

[46] The clip begins with a young blonde woman doing her hair and make-up in a nightclub's back dressing room, where she works as a stage dancer.

After doing her job as a dancer, the music video moves into a scene at the woman's home where she can be seen in a casual dress arguing with her partner in front of their young daughter.

In Inna's first scene, she has straightened loose hair, wearing a butterfly-like necklace, a beige short dress and a dark-coloured bracelet.

In Inna's final scene, she has her hair tied-back and wears a tight black vintage pants over a white sleeveless top.

[51] In 2009, Inna notably sang the track at the Eska Music Awards on 13 March,[52] Sopot Hit Festival in Poland in August sporting a dress designed by Lena Criveanu,[50] Loop Live in Bulgaria on 11 October,[53] and Legendario Ice Experience in Spain.

[54] In 2010, Inna performed "Hot" at the MAD Video Music Awards in Greece on 24 June,[55] and Starfloor in France on 23 October.

[56] "Hot" was also included on the singer's Inna: Live la Arenele Romane gig in Bucharest on 17 May 2011, where she arrived by helicopter.