Carly Rae Jepsen has revealed that a hockey drama on television gave her the name for her newborn son.
The “Call Me Maybe” singer, 40, welcomed Ilya Blue with music producer husband Cole M.G.N., 41, in March after what she described as an exhaustive search. Jepsen said that the couple refused to settle for anything ordinary, treating the decision with the gravity of a major creative project. “We were looking for something that felt original, and I was crazy — it almost felt like the most important creative decision I’ve ever made,” she said.
Their hunt took them through books, conversations with friends, and even random street signs. Jepsen said she knew the right choice would announce itself clearly when it arrived. “We were just really looking through books and talking to friends, and anytime I’d see a street name, I was looking for inspiration, and I knew that when I heard it, it would be clear,” she explained.
The breakthrough came unexpectedly while Jepsen was watching “Heated Rivalry,” the hit hockey drama series. The character Ilya Rozanov, portrayed by Connor Storrie, caught her attention at a moment when her husband happened to walk into the room. “[My husband] had not seen the show; he just walked in while I was hormonal and watching it, and I was like, ‘Ilya’s beautiful,’ and he was like, ‘Yes, it is really great,'” she recalled.
Jepsen emphasized that the name’s aesthetic appeal came first. “Ilya is just a beautiful name, first and foremost,” she said. The couple, both musicians, also sought something with sonic versatility. “We were really excited about finding a name that, I think both of us being musicians, had a musical sound to it — and you imagine saying it sweetly, and you imagine saying it like they got in trouble like, ‘Ilya.’ It’s good both ways! I like it.”
M.G.N. Contributed the middle name Blue, which Jepsen said clicked immediately. “My husband was doing the same thing, and he named our son his middle name, and as soon as he said it to me, it was right,” she shared.
Jepsen’s enthusiasm for “Heated Rivalry” extends well beyond the naming inspiration. She has fully embraced the series and is eagerly awaiting more episodes. “It is incredible, and I laughed, I cried, all of the things,” she said. “It was really, really wonderful, and one of those shows where I can’t wait for the next season to come out because I will be watching.”
The birth arrives alongside a significant professional milestone for Jepsen. She released her double album “Day and Night” on September 18, a project she worked on both before and during her pregnancy with M.G.N.’s collaboration. The new mother described this period as a transformative shift from earlier, more uncertain phases of her life. “I’ve had other chapters that have been lonelier, like I was on a journey not knowing where it was leading,” she reflected. “It feels like a really fresh new chapter that I’m in now, with a family that I couldn’t be more grateful for.”
The “Heated Rivalry” series, based on Rachel Reid’s popular hockey romance novels, follows the intense competitive and personal relationship between players Shane Olsson and Ilya Rozanov across multiple seasons. The television adaptation has garnered a devoted following for its blend of sports action and emotional storytelling, with Storrie’s portrayal of the Russian forward Rozanov emerging as a particular fan favorite. Jepsen discovered the show during her pregnancy and found herself drawn to the character’s name independently of the plot, though she has since become invested in the full narrative.
Jepsen’s double album “Day and Night” is available now.