Loving You Is in My DNA: Billy Gillies Song Meaning & Lyrics

There’s a moment in a club when a single lyric cuts through the bass and sticks in your head for days. For millions of listeners in 2023, that moment came from a trance track built around the line “Loving you is in my DNA.” The song, by Northern Irish DJ Billy Gillies and British vocalist Hannah Boleyn, became a chart hit and a social media fixture — and it also sparked a surprising amount of curiosity about the singer’s surname and what the science term actually means in the context of a love song.

Release date: 28 July 2023 ·
Artist: Billy Gillies featuring Hannah Boleyn ·
Genre: Trance / Electronic ·
Label: Big Beat / Atlantic ·
Chart performance: Peaked at number 1 on UK Dance Chart

Five key facts about the track, one pattern: the song’s success rests on a simple, repeatable hook that works across streaming, radio, and short-form video.

Who was Hannah Boleyn?

Hannah Boleyn’s background

• Hannah Boleyn is a British singer and songwriter who gained prominence through her feature on “DNA (Loving You)” (Wikipedia article).
• Her stage name often sparks confusion with the historical Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, though Hannah has not publicly confirmed whether the name is a direct reference.

Collaboration with Billy Gillies

• She is featured on “DNA (Loving You)” by Billy Gillies, providing the vocal hook that drives the track (YouTube video).
• The collaboration reportedly began via online music platforms, with Gillies sending Boleyn the instrumental and her recording the vocal remotely.

Connection to the surname Boleyn

• Her name often sparks confusion with the historical Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII.
• Hannah has not publicly confirmed whether the name is a direct reference, leaving room for speculation among fans.

The implication: Hannah Boleyn’s name is a marketing gift — it generates curiosity and search traffic that a less distinctive stage name would not.

What is Billy Gillies known for?

Billy Gillies as a trance DJ and producer

• Billy Gillies is a British DJ and producer known for trance and big room music (Wikipedia article).
• He rose to fame with remixes and original tracks, with “DNA (Loving You)” becoming his breakout commercial hit.

Notable tracks and achievements

• His discography includes tracks like “DNA (Loving You)” and various remixes for other dance artists.
• The song reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart, a significant achievement for a trance track in the 2020s (Wikipedia article).

Is Billy Gillies Irish?

• Billy Gillies is from Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom (Wikipedia article).
• He is not from the Republic of Ireland, though his music is popular across the island.

The pattern: Gillies’ success shows that trance, a genre often written off as past its peak, can still produce chart hits when paired with a strong vocal hook and social media strategy.

What does DNA stand for in the song?

Literal meaning of DNA in the lyrics

• In the song, DNA is used metaphorically to say love is instinctual and ingrained (YouTube video).
• It does not refer to deoxyribonucleic acid literally — the scientific term is not part of the song’s meaning.

Figurative interpretation – love as an inherent part of identity

• The phrase “loving you is in my DNA” compares love to an unchangeable genetic code, suggesting the feeling is as fundamental as biology (Songfacts summary).
• This metaphor resonates because it taps into the idea that some connections are predestined or hardwired.

Does the song use DNA as a scientific term?

• No — the song uses DNA as a cultural shorthand for “innate” or “unchangeable,” not as a literal reference to genetics.
• This is consistent with how pop music has used the term since the early 2000s, from songs like “DNA” by Little Mix to Kendrick Lamar’s “DNA.”

The catch: the song’s title creates a natural search conflict — users looking for scientific information about DNA may land on a trance track instead, which is both a discovery opportunity and a potential frustration.

What is the song DNA (Loving You) about?

Theme of unconditional love

• The song expresses a love so deep it feels biologically inherent (Songfacts summary).
• Lyrics like “Feel like my fingertips were made to touch your skin” reinforce the idea of physical and emotional destiny (YouTube video).

Role of the lyrics in the trance genre

• Trance tracks typically rely on instrumental builds and drops, but “DNA (Loving You)” puts the vocal front and center.
• The simple, repeatable hook “Loving you is in my DNA” is designed for club singalongs and TikTok clips alike.

Comparison with other songs titled ‘DNA’

• Different from Kendrick Lamar’s “DNA.” (2017), which uses the term to discuss identity, race, and heritage.
• Different from BTS’s “DNA” (2017), which uses the term to describe fate and connection between lovers.
• Billy Gillies’ version is the only one in the trance genre and the only one to use the parenthetical “(Loving You)” in the title.

The trade-off: by using a common pop metaphor, the song gains immediate recognizability but risks being lost in a sea of other songs with the same title.

Who wrote ‘Loving You is in My DNA’?

Songwriting credits

• The song was written by Billy Gillies and Hannah Boleyn (Wikipedia article).
• Both artists share credit for the lyrics and composition.

Collaboration process between Gillies and Boleyn

• Gillies produced the instrumental track and sent it to Boleyn, who wrote and recorded the vocal remotely.
• The track was released on Big Beat Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records (Wikipedia article).

Is the song a cover?

• It is not a cover; it is an original composition (Wikipedia article).
• No prior version of the song exists before the 2023 release.

The implication: the song’s success demonstrates that remote collaboration in the post-pandemic music industry can produce hits without artists ever being in the same studio.

Lyrics and meaning

The lyrics of “DNA (Loving You)” center on a narrator who feels an unbreakable, almost biological connection to their partner. Key lines from the official audio include:

• “Loving you is in my DNA” — the central hook, repeated throughout (YouTube video)
• “Feel like my fingertips were made to touch your skin” — physical destiny imagery (YouTube video)
• “Days only last for a minute” — time distortion when in love (YouTube video)
• “Gave me the faith that I needed” — spiritual dimension to the relationship (YouTube video)

Some lyric sources, including Dork lyrics page and Spotify, print an alternate line: “There’s only lust remaining,” which suggests a more complicated emotional landscape than the YouTube version’s pure devotion. This discrepancy has not been officially resolved by the artists.

Chart performance and reception

“DNA (Loving You)” debuted at number 97 on the UK Singles Chart before climbing to a peak of number 9 (Wikipedia article). It also reached number 1 on the UK Dance Chart, confirming its crossover appeal from club play to mainstream radio.

The track’s success on TikTok, where users created videos set to the hook, drove significant streaming numbers on Spotify and YouTube video. A live performance video uploaded on 17 November 2023 has also accumulated millions of views (YouTube video).

What this means: for a trance track to break the UK Top 10 in 2023 is rare. The genre’s commercial peak was in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and most modern trance hits are instrumental or feature minimal vocals. “DNA (Loving You)” succeeded by doing the opposite — putting a simple, emotional vocal at the center of a driving beat.

Frequently asked questions

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For trance fans in the UK and Ireland, the choice is clear: “DNA (Loving You)” is a rare example of the genre breaking through to the mainstream, and its success suggests that more vocal-driven trance tracks may follow — or the moment may pass as quickly as it arrived.