Heated Rivalry writer wants this gay pop icon to pen song for show: ‘I will definitely be asking’

Heated Rivalry director and writer Jacob Tierney has revealed that he plans on asking a huge pop star to write a new song for season two of the queer sports romance series.

Speaking to Pete Blackburn and DJ Bean on their hockey show What Chaos recently, Tierney revealed that he has plans to ask “Cut To The Feeling” singer Carly Rae Jepsen to be a part of season two of the surprise smash series.

“I have a list of dream songs that I would like very much to find a way [to include],” Tierney said, reflecting on his hopes for season two, which has already been confirmed despite season one only wrapping up last week.

“Is there a Canadian artist whose name rhymes with Barley May Bepsen?” the hosts playfully probed, alluding to the “Call Me Maybe” hitmaker, who is one of the most notable Canadian musicians of the 21st century.

“No, I didn’t even try. But I will next time. I was like, we can’t afford it,” Tierney responded, a little sadly, before the hosts questioned him on whether he has “Jepsen money now” following the success of season one.

“She was on my playlist for when I wrote. She was on my playlist for sure, and I will definitely be asking next time,” he revealed.

“I was even gonna ask her to write a new song, that’s what I was gonna do. I was gonna be like, ‘Is there a world in which you’d like to do a new song?’”

The director added that, while he doesn’t know the two-time Grammy nominee personally, he “loves” her because she’s “amazing”.

Online, fans of both Heated Rivalry and Carly Rae Jepsen have been left squealing at the prospect of the two cultural juggernauts teaming up.

“This is literally equivalent to dropping a nuclear bomb on the gay community like many people will die,” wrote one fan on X, formerly Twitter.

“He wants to Cut To The Feeling and I don’t blame him,” a second quipped.

A third declared: “This would fix me.”

Carly Rae Jepsen has become a hallmark of pop perfection in recent years, thanks largely to her third studio album Emotion, which is regarded as a cult classic.

Some of her singles, including “Cut To The Feeling”, “Run Away with Me” and “Party For One” have cemented her legacy as one of the best pop music mathematicians in recent history. 

However, she might be a little busy in 2026, when work is expected to commence on Heated Rivalry season two. In November, she announced that she and her husband Cole M.G.N. are expecting their first child together.

Heated Rivalry, which follows rival ice hockey players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) as they become secret lovers, is one of the biggest shows of 2025, despite its stars being practically unknown before the series launched.

Episode five of the series, released earlier in December, became one of just two episodes in TV history to receive a perfect 10 out of 10 rating on ratings and reviews site IMDb.

Heated Rivalry season one will begin airing on Sky in the UK from 10 January. It is streaming now on Crave in Canada and HBO in the US.

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