What is ‘hoa hoa hoa’ season? How the ‘Twilight’ soundtrack evokes cold weather nostalgia

Your support helps us to tell the story

Support Now

My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.

Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.

Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond

Eric Garcia

Washington Bureau Chief

Find out more

With fall having arrived in full force, many social media users have taken to declare that “hoa hoa hoa season” has arrived.

Inspired by the aesthetics of the first movie of the Twilight saga and its soundtrack, particularly “Eyes on Fire” by Blue Foundation, scoring sweeping shots of foggy pine trees and cold grey skies, vocals singing “hoa hoa hoa” at the beginning of the song have in recent years become emblematic of cold weather nostalgia. This year, social media users are saying goodbye to the long-reigning Brat Summer and welcoming “hoa hoa season.”

Thousands of people worldwide have used the song as well as clips and photos of foggy weather to meme-ify their nostalgia for the cloudiness and cool temperatures that roll around each year. For some “hoa hoa hoa season” sparks the desire to don cozy sweaters, drink hot chocolate, and settle in for a marathon of the Twilight saga.

“No song can bring me as much nostalgia as this one,” one user wrote.

“Me to the weather: ‘Where have you been, Loca?” another jokingly referenced a line from the original film.

“Watching Twilight in September is a legit yearly ritual for us.” someone else added.

For others, it’s an expression of longing for the greenery of the Pacific Northwest, particularly the state of Washington where the movie was filmed.

“I want to move where it’s always HOA HOA HOA weather,” one person wrote.

“My heart just broke a little because this exists outside of cinema and I’m not there,” another commented.

Others joked that the phrase had somehow grown to encapsulate the feeling of fall’s arrival.

“It’s so foggy outside the whole way back to my house I was singing hoa hoa hoa in my head,” one person remarked, while another added: “Finally someone who knows what I mean when I say ‘I feel the hoa hoa in the air.’”

The song has become a quintessential symbol of fall weather, so much so that Blue Foundation - the band behind the hit song - has noted that the song has taken a life of its own since its release over a decade ago. Initially created as a part of the band’s third full-length album Life of a Ghost, the song reached unprecedented heights of popularity when it was included in the Twilight soundtrack. Little did they know its inclusion would also cement the song as a vital piece of pop-cultural nostalgia.

“It has never really been an objective of ours to be considered a part of any genre,” Bo Rande of Blue Foundation told Far Out Magazine. “I think our main goal has always been to sound and feel as unique as possible.”

He recalled that while creating the album, he’d actually felt stagnant and blocked, with the success of “Eyes On Fire” ultimately being a surprise. “It was not part of any five-year plan, and it was a coincidence it ended up in the Twilight moment.”

Although none of the band members could have predicted the haunting track becoming such an intrinsic part of the Twilight phenomena and subsequent nostalgia for the movies, they felt like they were onto something when creating the track.

“I had that feeling with ‘Eyes on Fire’,” another bandmember Tobias Wilner admit. “[I thought] ‘It’s kind of this weird, slow song, but I kind of dig this song.’ It’s simple, but it’s raw. It has some hunting vibes about it, and it’s moody, so I had a feeling, but I didn’t expect it to be blowing up like that. No one knew at that time that Twilight would be so big.”

Nothing could have prepared them for the second life the song took, with typical TikTok meme-ification leading to an influx of “hoa hoa hoa season” videos and eventually solidifying that song reminded many across the world of the arrival of fall. Thanks to Twilight and fall weather nostalgia memes, new generations have become new fans, ensuring the song’s enduring relevance.