Samuel Dylan Murray Preston (born 16 January 1982), more commonly known simply as Preston, is an English singer in the band

the Ordinary Boys The Ordinary Boys are an English indie rock band from Worthing, West Sussex. Originally a hardcore outfit named Next in Line, they are influenced by punk rock and Britpop music, as well as the bands the Clash, the Specials, the Jam, the Kinks ...

. He also appeared in the reality television show ''

Celebrity Big Brother ''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...

'' in 2006, in which he finished fourth. After the Ordinary Boys split in 2008, he embarked on a songwriting career. In 2013, he officially reunited the Ordinary Boys and in 2015 they released their

self-titled An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

comeback album.

Early life

Samuel Preston was born in

Worthing Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Hov ...

, West Sussex. He was educated at

Sompting Sompting is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the coastal Adur (district), Adur District of West Sussex, England between Lancing, West Sussex, Lancing and Worthing. It is half grassland slopes and half developed plain at ...

Abbotts prep school and

Bishop Luffa School Bishop Luffa School, named after a former Bishop of Chichester, Ralph de Luffa, is a co-educational Church of England secondary school located in Chichester, West Sussex, England. The number of enrolled pupils was around 1,400 in 2010, in eight ...

Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...

. He is son to Anthony and Miranda Preston (born in Philadelphia), and brother to Alex and Lucy Preston. His grandfather was the Princeton University English professor

Samuel Hynes Samuel Lynn Hynes (August 29, 1924 – October 9, 2019) was an American author. He won a Robert F. Kennedy Book Award for ''The Soldiers' Tale'' in 1998. Biography Samuel Hynes was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended the University of Minnesot ...

. His brother, Alex Preston, is a novelist. In his teenage years, Preston lived in Philadelphia with his mother's side of the family. He is a descendant of the 19th-century British Prime Minister

Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (13 March 1764 – 17 July 1845), known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was a British Whig politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1830 to 1834. He was a member of the nob ...

Music career

Preston became the lead singer of Worthing-based pop group, the Ordinary Boys. They had a string of top-ten hits in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. Their most famous song, " Boys Will Be Boys", featured in the 2007 film ''

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fifth novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. It follows Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witc ...

''. After the Ordinary Boys split, Preston started working on material for a solo album, and released the song "Dressed to Kill", on 5 July 2009 as part of T4. The song samples the introduction from the song "

Happy House "Happy House" is a song written by Siouxsie Sioux and Steven Severin and recorded by their band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released as a single in March 1980 by record label Polydor, then later included on the band's third album, ''Kale ...

" by

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine in ...

. The single was released on 7 September 2009 but failed to chart after Preston had to delay the launch and pull out of promotional performances after breaking both arms in a bicycle accident. He is now a songwriter. In 2011, Preston co-wrote the number one

Olly Murs Oliver Stanley Murs (born 14 May 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and television presenter. He was runner-up on the sixth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2009 and was subsequently signed to RCA Records and Sony Music in the United Kingdom, ...

song "

Heart Skips a Beat "Heart Skips a Beat" is a song by English singer-songwriter Olly Murs, taken from his second studio album, ''In Case You Didn't Know''. The song features vocals from English hip hop duo Rizzle Kicks, and was released as the album's lead single ...

". Preston announced the reforming of the Ordinary Boys in 2011, and a new 12-date tour. Preston also co wrote the song and duet "

Beautiful Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to: Film and theater * ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field * ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...

" by

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; (born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican indie label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By the ...

and

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

for their respective albums, and his track " Dressed to Kill" was re-recorded by American singer

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

for her album ''

Closer to the Truth ''Closer to the Truth'' is the twenty-fifth studio album by American singer and actress Cher. It was released on September 20, 2013 by Warner Bros. Records. Opting to re-establish her music career, she began planning the project in 2011, shortly ...

''.

TV appearances

In January 2006, Preston appeared on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

's fourth series of ''

''. During his time in the house he became close to the eventual winner,

Chantelle Houghton Chantelle Vivien Houghton (born 21 August 1983) is an English television personality, glamour model, and columnist. In 2006, she competed in the fourth series of the Channel 4 reality series ''Celebrity Big Brother''. Houghton was sent in as ...

. Preston was evicted during the final episode on 27 January 2006, finishing in fourth place. In 2007, Preston filmed a documentary on voodoo for

. He has also presented ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

'' and '' CD:UK''. In January 2007, Preston appeared as a guest panellist on comedy gameshow ''

Never Mind the Buzzcocks ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first hoste ...

'' (Season 20, Episode 3). He walked out of the studio during the programme's recording, offended by jokes made at Houghton's expense by the show's host

Simon Amstell Simon Marc Amstell (born 29 November 1979) is a British comedian, writer and director. He wrote and directed the films '' Carnage'' (2017) and ''Benjamin'' (2018). His work on television has included presenting '' Popworld'' and '' Never Mind th ...

, who read extracts from Chantelle's autobiography. In an interview with NME after the incident, he claimed that Simon Amstell didn't write his own jokes, and called him a "snotty little posh boy". He later regretted this, reflecting to the BBC "I'm struggling to think why I would have acted so weird." Speaking of Amstell, Preston said he is "funny, charming and likeable, which made it alking offall the more embarrassing". On 24 August 2010, he returned to the Big Brother franchise for ''

Ultimate Big Brother ''Ultimate Big Brother'' was the final series of the UK reality television programme ''Big Brother (UK TV series), Big Brother'' to air on Channel 4. The series was produced by Remarkable Pictures, a division of Endemol. ''Ultimate Big Brother' ...

'', along with his now ex-wife Chantelle; he finished sixth.

Personal life

A week after the end of ''Celebrity Big Brother,'' Preston became engaged to his longtime French girlfriend, Camille Aznar. He kept in contact with Houghton from the Big Brother show, and broke up with Aznar a month later to allow Houghton to move into his

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

flat. He and Houghton got engaged on 11 April 2006 and, in an exclusive £300,000 each deal with

OK! magazine ''OK!'' is a British weekly magazine that primarily specialises in royal and celebrity news. Originally launched as a monthly magazine, its first issue was published in April 1997. In September 2004, ''OK''! launched in Australia as a monthly ...

, they were married on 25 August 2006 at

Dartmouth House Dartmouth House is a Georgian house in Mayfair, central London, England. It now serves as the headquarters of the English-Speaking Union (ESU), an educational charity. It is located at 37 Charles Street, southwest of Berkeley Square. Over 40,0 ...

Mayfair, London Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world ...

. After their honeymoon, the couple moved to Preston's flat in Brighton,

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...

. Preston and Houghton announced their separation on 27 June 2007, and received the

decree nisi A decree nisi or rule nisi () is a court order that will come into force at a future date unless a particular condition is met. Unless the condition is met, the ruling becomes a decree absolute (rule absolute), and is binding. Typically, the condi ...

for their divorce on 21 November 2007. Preston moved to Philadelphia in the US in 2008, where he lived for 3 years. He had American citizenship from his mother's side of the family. In 2017, he was hospitalised following a fall from a balcony in Denmark. As of 2018, Preston is engaged to Emily Smith.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Songwriting discography

* "Don't Say Goodbye" by

(2010) * "

" by

(2011) * "On My Cloud" by

(2011) * "Hard To Love Somebody" by

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

feat.

Arlissa Arlissa Ruppert (; born 21 September 1992), known professionally as Arlissa, is a German-born British singer and songwriter. She has released three singles, collaborated with Nas and was listed on the BBC's Sound of 2013. Life and career Arli ...

(2012) * " Dressed To Kill" by

(2013) * "

Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

" by

Lucy Spraggan Lucy Honour Ruby Spraggan (born 21 July 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. She auditioned for ''The X Factor (UK series 9), The X Factor'' in 2012, performing her own composition, "Last Night (Lucy Spraggan song), Last Night". On 3 November ...

(2013) * "Goodnight Goodbye" by John Newman (2013) * "Beautiful" by

feat.

(2014) * "Million Words" by The Vamps (2015) * "The Reason" by

Lower Than Atlantis Lower Than Atlantis were an English rock band from Watford, Hertfordshire. They formed in 2007 as a hardcore punk band and gradually shifted into a rock sound over five studio albums, their last being 2017's '' Safe in Sound''. The band consiste ...

(2015) * "Chewing Gum" by

Nina Nesbitt Nina Nesbitt (born ) is a Scottish singer and songwriter. She has two top 40 singles, and is known for her single "Stay Out", which peaked at No. 21 on the UK Singles Chart in April 2013. Her first Extended play, EP, ''The Apple Tree'', was r ...

(2016) * "Casual" by Alex Adair (2017) * "Hands" by Mike Perry (2017) * "Karma" by Tom Walker (2017) * "

Personal Personal may refer to: Aspects of persons' respective individualities * Privacy * Personality * Personal, personal advertisement, variety of classified advertisement used to find romance or friendship Companies * Personal, Inc., a Washington, ...

" by The Vamps (2017) * "Slow Me Down" by

Jessie Ware Jessica Lois Ware (born 15 October 1984) is an English singer, songwriter and broadcaster. Ware came to prominence following the release of her debut studio album, ''Devotion'' (2012), which peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart, produce ...

(2017) * "Starting From Now" by

Catherine McGrath Catherine McGrath (born 9 June 1997) is a Northern Irish country music singer and songwriter. Career Early life Born in Rostrevor, Northern Ireland, McGrath learned guitar from her grandmother, who taught her to play and sing "The Lion Sleeps T ...

(2017) * "Technology" by Don Broco (2017) * "What Do I Do" by Sjur (2017) * "Heartbeats" by

Matoma Tom Stræte Lagergren (born 29 May 1991), professionally known as Matoma, is a Norwegian DJ and record producer. Early life Lagergren was born in Åsnes, Norway. He started playing the piano as a child. During that period, he won a contest t ...

feat.

(2018) * "Please" by Samantha Harvey (2018) * "Put It On For Me" by

Don Diablo Don Pepijn Schipper (; born 27 February 1980), better known by his stage name Don Diablo, is a Dutch DJ, digital artist, record producer, musician and songwriter of electronic dance music from Coevorden. He is one of the pioneers of the future h ...

feat.

(2018) * "Ruins" by

Claire Richards Claire Anne Richards (born 17 August 1977) is an English singer who is best known for being in the pop group Steps. Richards was a contestant on the second series of ''Popstar to Operastar'' before being voted off in the semi finals. She pos ...

(2018) * "Slow" by

Liam Payne Liam James Payne (born 29 August 1993) is an English singer. He rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction. Payne made his debut as a singer in 2008 when he auditioned for the British television series ''The X Factor''. After being ...

(2018) * "

All I Want (For Christmas) "All I Want (For Christmas)" is a song by British singer Liam Payne Liam James Payne (born 29 August 1993) is an English singer. He rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction. Payne made his debut as a singer in 2008 when he audit ...

" by

(2019) * "All You Need To Know" by

Gryffin Dan Griffith (born September 29, 1987), known by his stage name Gryffin (often stylized in all caps), is an American musician, DJ, songwriter, and record producer. He gained recognition for remixing some well-known songs such as Tove Lo's " Ta ...

feat. Calle Lehmann (2019) * "Is It Really Me You're Missing?" by

(2019) * " Live Forever" by

feat

Cheat Codes Cheating in video games involves a video game player using various methods to create an advantage beyond normal gameplay, usually in order to make the game easier. Cheats may be activated from within the game itself (a cheat code implemented by ...

(2019) * "Told You So" by Hrvy (2019)

References

External links

"Dressed To Kill" Single Review

Statement on Preston's comeback
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preston 1982 births Living people People from Worthing The Ordinary Boys English male singer-songwriters People educated at Bishop Luffa School