In conversation with Tom Wills (again!): “If little me could see myself now”

Mancunian upcoming dance sensation, Tom Wills, released his second single, ‘LAID’, on 8 May off the back of his vastly successfully debut track, ‘Mid-Night Moves’. I had the pleasure of getting to catch-up with him again, intrigued by how ‘LAID’ characterises the Tom I spoke to in November so vividly. The new track is a cover of the James classic, reinvented for the dance scene, projected forward by Preston-based producer Sholzy’s energetic, catchy motifs. It’s an absolute hit, but more on that later – for now, just how successful was ‘Mid-Night Moves’?

“I didn’t expect to get into the iTunes charts,” Wills told me. He was left “absolutely mind-blown” after watching the track race to #4 in the dance chart and #40 in mixed genres. Given that it was his debut single, alongside a new producer and foreign label, he remained modest, hoping that – at best – it would hit #200, but to see ‘Mid-Night Moves’ next to a Sabrina Carpenter, Man’s Best Friend track, was “crazy”. The track released on 24 October 2025; from that day, “everything just started to snowball”, leading to impressive chartings, wide radio-play, and unwavering positive attention. Emotionally, Wills’ career growth has had a positive impact, the dark days beginning to be outshone by everything he has to look forward to – “you’ve just got to remember to keep going; it’s literally just starting now.”

After hearing the track once, his label – The Dance Division – said, “let’s release this next.”

Covering the work of other artists is nothing new to Wills, his live setlists broadly composed of powerful ballads and fun pop-bangers which see audiences flock to the dancefloor, yet releasing a reinvented cover of such an “iconic” song is certainly a brave decision. ‘LAID’ was born during the planning stages for his 2026 Pride performances, never intended to be released on streaming. Nonetheless, Wills wanted to ensure “everything was original” while still doing the James original “justice”, his refusal to overthink guiding his creativity as he gave the track a makeover. The most important thing was to “keep that magic, [ and ] that vibe” while simultaneously developing it “differently, for the dance genre”.

Sholzy, Wills’ collaborator and producer, sent both him and his label the instrumental track while Wills was in Paris, on the bus to the Eiffel Tower: he told me how “surreal” it was to listen to the track he “love[ s ] and respect[ s ]”, it’s “epic” to see his vision falling into place. I remembered how clear it was in our first interview that Wills was going to chase his dreams no matter the challenges in his way, and it was inspiring to hear that, now, the trust he had in himself was beginning to be mirrored by the music industry. After hearing the track once, his label – The Dance Division – said, “let’s release this next.”

The track first came to Wills’ attention “when [ he ] was younger”, ‘Laid’ (by James) released on a tester CD in the local Sunday paper, him and his father “literally w[ earing ] it out”. When James played Lytham Festival in July 2024, Wills and his family were in the audience, the “full circle moment” reminding him of the power of music, its attachment to memory, and the power it possesses to bring people together. Thus, when planning 2026 Pride, the track seemed a natural choice for the setlist, the lyrics “dr[ awing him ] to the song”. Whereas he previously viewed artistry as boxes of expectation, Wills has “discovered [ him ]self a lot more as [ he’s ] got[ ten ] older” and “embraced what [ he ] feels”: such liberation and freedom cries through in James’ lyricism – “it was very ahead of its time”.

He opted to keep the lyrics true to the original, this – in a way – a blessing in disguise

Despite the undeniable representation in the original track, Wills made the brave creative decision to edit the structure slightly, elongating certain sections. While I thought this was an attempt to underscore the narrative he was trying to illustrate in his cover, Wills revealed to me that the choice was purely practical – “I wanted it to be a little bit longer to fill my twenty-minute set.” His honesty is admirable, not trying to force a persona, just being himself and humbly letting the industry reshape itself to accommodate.

Speaking of changes, Wills shared that he originally wanted to change the pronoun from ‘she’ to ‘he’ in the iconic line, “She only comes when she’s on top” (‘Laid’, James), to further align with the inclusion he feels is so embedded in his identity. However, after the decision was made to release this as a single, he opted to keep the lyrics true to the original, this – in a way – a blessing in disguise. Rather than performatively enforcing messaging of freedom, maintaining ‘she’ enabled Wills to comment on societal ideology in an even more genuine way: “I don’t see anything being male or female. Those are just vibes.” The original lyrics embrace gender fluidity, just as Wills endeavours to do in every performance – everyone is individually and authentically themselves, and that is all they need to be.

Wills’ vocals stand out on ‘LAID’, a sincere improvement on those showcased in ‘Mid-Night Moves’, him having “work[ ed ] a lot on [ his ] falsetto” in recent months, performing Erasure’s ‘Little Respect’ live to strengthen the upper end of his range. Such vocals accompany the dance instrumental perfectly, Wills’ cover even more blissfully euphoric than the original, almost an encapsulation of that feeling you get deep into the night, your vision slightly blurry and the floor slightly sticky, each beat of music unleashing a new level of unadulterated freedom.

Everything has come full-circle for Wills, and so, in a way, he’s right in saying that his career is only just starting now

Only 24 hours after the single dropped, Wills released a ‘LAID’ music video on YouTube, written, shot, and edited by only himself and Sholzy. The video sees Wills fighting an internal battle, the lyrics less focused on a relationship, shaped to “the chaos all in [ his ] head”. In some shots, there are multiple characters, all played by the singer, the two identities symbolic of “all the emotions that [ he ] feel[ s ] in [ his ] life all the time”: rather than two lovers, Wills’ vocals centre on the duality of human existence. There is no light without dark, and so “Moved out of the house, so you moved next door” (‘Laid’, James) embraces such juxtaposition – the highs of life will always remind you of the lows which lurk in the back of your mind, but, similarly, the lows are persistently chased by joy; we cannot escape either feeling, and so should run free, nothing but ourselves.

The video also features Linda the Therapist, a character added “last minute”, further endeavouring “that madness and chaos which fuels [ his ] creativity”, a personification of that mindset we find ourselves in when giving others advice. Often, we give plenty of advice which we should really take on ourselves, and so – to me – Linda serves as a reminder to be your own biggest champion and do exactly what is best for you, not supporting others at the expense of your own welfare.

Speaking of, Wills’ hard work is paying off, receiving local press on ‘LAID’ from the Lancashire Post, Lancashire Telegraph, and other publications close to his heart. The support from his hometown has definitely boosted his mental health, amazed to see his name in the papers which sat by those very same papers containing tester CDs back in his youth: “it’s just crazy – if little me could see myself now, he’d be so proud”. Everything has come full-circle for Wills, and so, in a way, he’s right in saying that his career is only just starting now – his hard work has paid off, and now it is time to reap the rewards.

Music is therapy; I’m living proof of it right here

 Tom Wills

While ‘LAID’ has only just released, I had to ask what is coming next from Wills – I wasn’t leaving the interview without some Boar-exclusive insight! An undetermined release date accompanies Wills’ third single, ‘Lost in the Noise’, a “euphoric anthem” which sees his journey from the “shadows which bring [ him ] down” to “find[ ing ] the music”. The upcoming track, much like ‘LAID’, possesses a certain dichotomy, tracking how creatives write to express and work through emotions, and how fans immerse themselves in the work of others to alleviate the weight of their feelings: “music is therapy; I’m living proof of it right here.”

Talking to Tom Wills was, yet again, an absolute pleasure, and it is so rewarding to watch his developing journey. Whether ‘LAID’ will have the success of ‘Mid-Night Moves’, we will have to wait and see, but one thing is for certain – Tom Wills is here to stay.