Creator Jacob Tierney initially "resisted" using t.A.T.u.'s early-2000s hit "All The Things She Said" in the Crave series "Heated Rivalry," despite the song now feeling synonymous with the drama about two rival male hockey players who fall in love.
"That song is shady," Tierney said during a panel discussion at Toronto's Departure Festival on Thursday. "It is deeply complicated. It's unpleasant in a lot of ways." However, the writer-director said the track by the Russian duo was ultimately hard to resist using for a pivotal nightclub sequence.
Released in 2002, "All The Things She Said" became a global smash for t.A.T.u., whose music video depicting a sapphic kiss between members Lena Katina and Julia Volkova was later accused of queerbaiting audiences. In the 2003 documentary "Anatomy of t.A.T.u.," the duo confirmed neither identified as lesbian at the time they made the song, with Katina saying she tried to pray away what she called their "sinful" public image. Volkova later came out as bisexual, but drew backlash in a 2014 interview after describing gay men as "unmanly" and saying she would disapprove of having a gay son, though she later apologised for her remarks.
Tierney explained that using the queer-presenting song was also a way of sticking it to the Russian government, which has effectively banned "Heated Rivalry" under laws targeting what it deems LGBTQ+ propaganda. "Like it or not, this is a big gay song, and I'm going to make it even gayer right now," he said.
The tune plays during a nightclub staredown between main characters Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander, before morphing into a dance cover by U.K. artist-producer Harrison. Tierney added that he wanted to acknowledge Russia's audiences and cultural influence despite the country's anti-LGBTQ+ politics. "We wanted Russian music," Tierney told the audience. "I, of course, wanted queer stuff whenever I could get it. And I was like, 'Frankly, there's only one big hit in this department'".
