We sat down with rising artist and songwriter Hannah Boleyn to talk about her journey from songwriting student to platinum-selling artist.
In this candid interview, she shares how one spontaneous idea led to her breakthrough hit ‘DNA (Loving You)‘, why she fought to be credited on her own track, and what she’s learned about success in the music industry.
Let’s start at the beginning. How did you end up at Tileyard Education?
I originally wanted to move away from being an artist and focus on songwriting. I visited a good friend of mine, Jez Ashurst—an incredible songwriter—and he recommended the MA in Commercial Songwriting and Production at Tileyard. He said the network alone would be worth it, and he was totally right. Thanks, Jez!
What was your approach to the course?
I was really clear on what I wanted: collaboration. I worked with as many people as I could, and if I clicked with someone, I’d pester them to write more. I honestly believe the best way to learn songwriting is by doing it. So that’s what I did—again and again.
What was your favorite part of being at Tileyard?
The community. I loved hanging out at Vinyl Cafe, bumping into people, having spontaneous chats that led to sessions. Especially post-lockdown, those real-life connections reminded me I wasn’t alone in this.
I was lucky to have Charlie Arme, Co-Founder of Tileyard Music as part of my 6 month mentorship on the course. He was generous with his time and very honest—blunt, actually, which I appreciated. He got to know me and started setting me up with sessions. Some of those relationships I still have today, even with people who’ve moved on from Tileyard. That opened big doors for me.
Tell us how ‘DNA (Loving You)’ came about.
I had a Zoom session with writer Nathan Nicholson and was walking home from a meeting when the hook just came to me: “Loving you is in my DNA.” I left myself a voice note and brought it to the session. We wrote it fairly quickly as the hook was already there. Later, I played it for a Dutch producer I was working with—he loved it and pitched it for a project. Months went by and I thought nothing would happen, but then I met an A&R at ADE who said, “Send me some records.” One of them was ‘DNA’.
As is the case with many of these scenarios in the music industry, I wasn’t expecting to hear back. Some time had passed and then one day he came back and said, “I love this song. Give me a week.” When he returned, they’d sped up my vocal to 140 BPM, and I genuinely loved it. It felt fresh, it was a lot different to when we first started it but I loved it. The only catch? They didn’t want to credit me as the featured vocalist.
How did you handle that?
That was hard. I’d written and sung the song, and they didn’t want my name on it. This was around International Women’s Day, and Atlantic had just posted about lifting up women in the industry. So I said to my manager, “We need to say something.” We wrote an email explaining why it wasn’t right. I waited 24 hours—felt sick the whole time—and then they came back and said, “We’d love to have Hannah on the song.”
What was it like when “DNA” started to take off?
It started going viral on TikTok before it was even released. A fan took audio from Billy’s set and uploaded it. Suddenly, people were making videos with it. The label decided to release the track two weeks later.
We got no playlist support at first, but I could see the streams increasing—30,000 a day, then 40,000, 50,000. Performing at Creamfields a month later was a turning point. Hearing the crowd sing it back to me—that’s when I knew something special was happening.
What were the stats like at the peak?
At its highest, “DNA” was hitting close to 500,000 streams per day. It entered the charts at number 66 and eventually went Top 10 in January 2024. We also made it to the A-list at BBC Radio 1 and Capital. I even gave my platinum disc to my parents for Christmas—it’s on their wall now!
What made the song resonate with people?
I think it’s a mix of strong melodic hooks, Billy’s amazing production, and lyrics that connected emotionally. I’ve had messages from people who walked down the aisle to it, or sing it to their kids. That’s wild to me.
I’ve never had the most technically perfect voice, but I’ve learned to lean into what makes me unique. That’s the Hannah Boleyn sound. Imperfections and all.
What’s your songwriting process like?
I’m always looking for ideas. Some are terrible—I once tried to write a song inspired by a vending machine. Didn’t work. But one exercise I do is to look at a song I love and try to find a new way to say the same thing. “Loving you is in my DNA” is really just another way of saying “I was made for loving you.”
Any advice for aspiring songwriters?
Enjoy it. Work with as many people as you can. Even difficult sessions can lead to great songs later on. Write constantly. If you think you’re writing a lot, write more. I’ve had weeks with 10 songs—most of them bad, but that’s how you get to the good ones.
And most importantly: work hard, and be kind. That’s what makes a difference in this industry.
What’s next for Hannah Boleyn?
I’m now working on my third collaboration with Billy Gillies and diving deeper into what makes my sound unique. I’ve just released my first single, Don’t Wanna Dance under my new label. No DJs, no featured artist, my first dance record post-DNA under my own name. The journey so far has been incredible, and I’m just getting started.
Follow Hannah Boleyn on her journey via her social channels and stay tuned for more music in 2025.
