Some songs arrive at exactly the right moment in people’s lives. Others grow beyond the artist who wrote them and start belonging to everyone. For Yorkshire songwriter Sam Scherdel, “Somewhere in the Middle” has now firmly become one of those songs.

Already a breakout anthem after exploding across TikTok, landing on ITV’s Love Island and racking up more than two million streams, Scherdel’s heartfelt indie epic has now been transformed into something even bigger – and arguably even more powerful – through this breathtaking new collaboration with the Hull NHS Choir.

The result is genuinely spine-tingling.

Where the original version thrived on grit, yearning and widescreen Northern emotion, this new choral arrangement lifts the song into entirely new territory. It feels cinematic. Human. Hopeful. There’s a warmth and togetherness running through it that gives every lyric added weight.

And crucially, it never loses the raw honesty that made the original connect in the first place.

Scherdel has always had a voice capable of carrying huge emotion without sounding forced. There’s a gravel and vulnerability to it that recalls the great Northern storytellers before him. But hearing that voice now rise alongside the Hull NHS Choir creates something properly special — the kind of goosebump moment modern music rarely delivers anymore.

What makes this collaboration hit even harder is the story behind it.

The choir first discovered the song after Sam’s previous show in Hull, with choir leader Lucy Vere introducing it to the group earlier this year. After clips of the choir performing the track started circulating online, Scherdel himself was moved enough to turn the idea into a full collaboration.

And you can hear that authenticity in every second.

Nothing about this feels manufactured or cynical. It sounds exactly like what it is: a group of people emotionally connecting with a song and collectively creating something uplifting out of it.

At a time when the world can often feel relentlessly cynical, “Somewhere in the Middle” lands like a reminder of what music is actually supposed to do – bring people together.

The production, handled at Sheffield’s iconic Yellow Arch Studios alongside Mercury Prize-nominated producer Colin Elliot, is beautifully judged too. The arrangement allows the choir room to breathe while still preserving the intimacy of Scherdel’s songwriting. Nothing feels overblown. Every swell feels earned.

And live, this could become something truly unforgettable.

Fans will get the chance to witness the collaboration in person when Sam Scherdel and the Hull NHS Choir perform together at The Social in Hull on Friday 22 May 2026, in what’s shaping up to be one of the city’s most emotional and talked-about gigs of the year.

With Scherdel’s star continuing to rise internationally following tours across the UK and USA, SXSW showcases in Texas and growing major industry attention, this collaboration somehow still manages to feel deeply grounded in Yorkshire roots, community spirit and real human connection.

Even better, all proceeds from the release are being donated to charity, supporting both Health Stars and WISHH.

This isn’t just a clever reworking of a viral indie song. It’s proof that heartfelt songwriting still cuts through when it comes from a real place.

Powerful, uplifting and genuinely moving, this is Sam Scherdel at his very best.

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5/5