When Heated Rivalry debuted on streaming services in November 2025, few could have predicted the cultural phenomenon the “little hockey show that could” would become; not its cast, not its creator, not Rachel Reid, the author of the book series on which the show is based, and certainly not British DJ and producer Harrison. His take on the 2002 t.A.t.u smash “All the Things She Said” plays alongside the original during a steamy club scene featuring leads Hudson Williams (Shane) and Connor Storrie (Ilya) that’s garnered millions of views, reposts, and fan edits on social media. Now, a song released in 2022 has catapulted to become a smash success, capable of summoning an entire fandom.
It may seem impossible for Harrison to sum up the last few months, but we got him to try when we met up before a packed performance in Toronto — one of several stops on his global club tour. Below, get Harrison’s takes on newfound virality, seizing your moment, and what’s next in the pipeline (hint: if you’re a fan of The Veronicas or Royel Otis, you’re going to want to read this!).
The world fell in love at first listen with your mega viral Heated Rivalry hit “All the Things She Said.” Aside from the massive response it’s received, what was your favourite part of putting the song together?
I like the part just before it kicks in. It really feels like it flips up. And from the perspective of making music, I think the most important thing that you can ever do is have a good drop. This song was always one I really liked, so it’s crazy that you guys like it too. I put it together years ago. Most people just discovered it now, so they’re late to the party really!
For people who don’t know the story, how were you approached to have your song in the show?
It had six million plays, and [one] of those six million people on Spotify … must have been Jacob [Tierney, the creator, writer, and director of the show] himself. He added it to his playlist [when] he was writing, and he listens to music as he’s writing to visualize how [scenes] would go. He reached out to me and my team and said, “Hey, you want to put this song in a series? It’s called Heated Rivalry.” Obviously back then, Heated Rivalry wasn’t as big as now, but it was a concept of a small Canadian hockey show. And now here we are with the biggest song [and] show in the world, number one viral record in the world, and there’s so [much] more stuff to this but in general it’s just pretty epic. You don’t get this to happen every day.
Do you remember when you first fell in love with the t.A.t.u original and what inspired you to give it your own spin?
I always remembered it as a kid as kind of stuck in my head, so I thought one day I would do [something with] it. Then, when I was making [this] backing track, for some reason the idea of it was spinning around in my brain. Little did I know that a billion people would be listening to it, and good on t.A.t.u as well for being good sports and doing what they want to do with having their kind of “bring back.” … Trevor Horn, who wrote the song in English, [is] a real big supporter of the show and a legend in his own right. I was speaking to him about putting out the “All the Things” orchestral version, which we just did as well. I never thought I’d get to sing with a 26-person orchestra, [but] here we are. Lots of random things, right? Never thought I’d go to a hockey [arena]!
Did you know when in the show your song was going to air, and what was your reaction when you saw the full scene?
Well, I’m English. I didn’t get to watch it legally till later, but I may or may not have seen it before how everybody else saw it. I think when you get sent something without context, it’s hard to understand, but obviously when I watched the series and I understood what it meant at that point, it was a more of a mic drop moment, if that makes any sense. And I feel like they only ever show the first minute when they clip it. They don’t show the full extent when [Ilya, played by Connor Storrie] goes home, he’s in the shower, and how dramatic it really is.
On the first minute that scene was done, I had messages in seconds. I’ll never forget the date — December 12. It was just crazy. And the love that I’ve got from it, and the fact that people turn up to stuff like this and support the new stuff… [having more than] 600,000 plays straight away on the comeback is pretty crazy, right? So yeah, you can’t ask for more.
Because of the show, you’ve of course gained a loyal audience in Canada, which allowed you to take your Heated Tour across the country. Rachel Reid came out to surprise fans at your Ottawa show, which we’re sure will be a difficult moment to top.
How lucky am I to have had that. We had a little chat. You can tell that even she is probably overwhelmed with what’s happened, and she seems like such a humble person, but also just a great advocate for women in general. And she’s at the [hockey] game[s]. She’s not just at big games; she’s at women’s games, she’s at the minor league, she’s doing your book clubs, and she came to [the UK for an event]. She cares about [the fans], and I think that’s such a great kind of role model to have.
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You’re planning a U.S. leg for the tour and have a show back home in London on April 24. Where else will you be this year?
On June 21, I’m doing Pride in DC for 100,000 people. There are lots of big ones. We’re just working out how we’re going to do it. I’m a dad. I’ve got a little daughter. She’s one, so her happiness comes before my own. I’m going to try now to book shows in between being a father because that’s the most important thing to me.
What do you want people to know about you and your music outside of Heated Rivalry?
Well, a lot of people that come [to these shows] have said, “I’ve been following you for four to five years.” It’s not just Heated Rivalry fans; I had songs with David Guetta and Hardwell and Steve Aoki and I’ve been around the block. It’s not like this just happened; this happened, and then it became something more. To me [the shows are] a mixture of true Harrison, been here forever, kind of day ones and epic new, free love, fun people. So, what a bunch of great people to be around.
I also find people that do come to these events and come to my shows find new friends, and then they start hanging out and start messaging people. I’ve had people fly from Australia [or] drive from America, and I’m so honoured to be like a little rift in the sliding windows of life to just bring anyone to anywhere. So, from my perspective, it’s a lucky thing to be part of. But it’s also like, where do you take it from here? Like, do you make it massive, or are you just going to be known for the one song?
You’ve started teasing your next release, which will be with The Veronicas (out May 29). How did you connect with them?
I saw what was happening at the Heated Rivalry parties and everyone’s reactions and I thought, where do we go from here? How do we get this into maybe more seasons of a certain program, right? And I said to The Veronicas, “Just trust me, a collaboration would be huge.” And then the next week, they were booking this triple j performance, which got, like, a million likes on TikTok alone, and “Untouched” was trending. So, now we’re at that point where we’re just going to push it. The Veronicas are lovely. They re-recorded their vocals for me, which is pretty sick. Like, not everybody does that – takes their big hit from 2007 and gives you the keys and says, alright, your turn to drive for a little while, but it’s our car (laughs). There’s another band as well called Royel Otis who is managed by The Veronicas’ manager, and they asked whether I would record “Oysters in My Pocket.” I’m going to play it tonight [in Toronto] as a special version. So, a lot of what I play, you can’t Shazam it; it’s only here.
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If you were asked to make a follow-up song for Heated Rivalry season two, have you started thinking about how it would sound? Is there a dream scene you would want one of your tracks paired to?
*SPOILER ALERT* If I [were] Jacob, I would put the orchestral version of “All the Things She Said” in the plane crash because it’s like a flashback to the whole thing. … It’s very emotional. You haven’t heard it yet, but it’s one of the best vocals I’ve ever laid down in my life. It took a lot of attempts to get it perfect but I feel like it’s there, and everyone I play it to says, “Oh, this really resonates with me.” Like, “This is the one.” So, there is that, but I’d also work in The Veronicas. Maybe do another flip – original Veronicas, new Veronicas, kind of like what we did in season one.
Thank you, Harrison! Stream “All the Things She Said” now and look out for upcoming Heated Tour stops near you.
See you back here soon with another artist and music release for you to love at first listen! Have a suggestion or pitch? You know where to find us!
Happy listening xx
(Header photo credit: Toni Konrad)
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