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Aston Iain Merrygold (born 13 February 1988) is a British singer, songwriter, actor, dancer and television presenter. He is known for being a member of the British boy band JLS, who were the runners-up to Alexandra Burke in the fifth series of The X Factor. As part of the group he achieved five number one singles on the UK singles chart and a number one album on the UK Albums Chart. As of December 2013, JLS had sold over 10 million records before disbanding in 2013 and reuniting in 2020. In 2013, he became a judge on the British dance talent show Got to Dance.
Merrygold worked on his debut solo album Showstopper for a planned mid-2016 release, but it remains unreleased. The lead single of the album, "Get Stupid" was released on 24 July 2015 and reached number ten on the ARIA Charts and was certified Platinum. In August 2017, he was announced as a contestant for the fifteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing, and was controversially eliminated on 5 November 2017, coming in tenth place. Merrygold has also appeared in television series including Fun Song Factory and Almost Never.
In 2024, Merrygold starred in the UK tour of The Wizard of Oz as the Tin Woodman, and reprised the role in the West End at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. Aston Merrygold and The Vivienne Will Star in Limited London Run of The Wizard of Oz
Friend Marvin Humes had already successfully auditioned to become a member of UFO, (later JLS), formed by Oritse Williams when Humes encouraged Aston to audition. Merrygold and JB Gill were recruited soon after, and they changed their name to JLS. In 2008, they auditioned for the fifth series of The X Factor, where they went on to finish in second place to Alexandra Burke. After the series finished, JLS signed with record label Epic Records The band have released four studio albums ( JLS, Outta This World, Jukebox, and Evolution) and appeared in a film, JLS: Eyes Wide Open. In August 2012, Merrygold was confirmed as a judge on the fourth series of the Sky One dance talent show Got to Dance and would appear alongside Diversity dancer Ashley Banjo and former Pussycat Dolls member Kimberly Wyatt. Merrygold said the experience had been "inspiring". In 2014, it was confirmed that he would not be returning to the show due to pursuing other projects. On 22 December 2013, JLS performed for the last time.
On 5 May 2017, Merrygold released the single "Trudy". On 27 May 2017, Merrygold guest presented an episode of The Playlist. In August 2017, Merrygold was announced as a contestant for the fifteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing. He was partnered with professional dancer Janette Manrara and reached the seventh week of the competition, losing the dance off to Mollie King and AJ Pritchard. The decision to eliminate Merrygold instead of King was not popular with viewers and bosses, who went on social media to vent their anger at the decision. In February 2018, Merrygold's 2015 single Get Stupid featured in a newly launched TV commercial released by Samsung promoting the Galaxy S9 smartphone. Merrygold was picked in July 2018 as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month. He was featured on NBC's Today show hosted by Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford, broadcast nationally in the United States on 19 July 2018 where he performed a live version of his single "Get Stupid". In 2019, he was cast in the CBBC series Almost Never as Jordan. He stated that he used his knowledge of the music industry, particularly from his time with JLS, as inspiration for the role.
From 2020 to 2021, Merrygold competed in the ITV singing series The Masked Singer UK as Robin; he finished in third place. He chose the alias of Robin because Robin from DC Comics's real name is Dick Grayson and Merrygold's son's name is Grayson. In 2022, Merrygold returned in the third series final masked as Robin to perform a duet with Charlotte Church masked as Mushroom.
In September 2021, Merrygold became a judge on the Irish talent show The Big Deal along with Boy George, Jedward, Lyra, and Deirdre O'Kane.
In September 2017, Merrygold announced via Instagram that his partner, Sarah Louise Richards, was expecting a baby. He said that her pregnancy had encouraged him to take part in Strictly Come Dancing. The couple announced their engagement in December 2017. On 30 January 2018, Richards gave birth to their first son. Their second son was born on 5 June 2020. They wed in September 2022. In March 2024, they announced the birth of their third child.
JLS also helped raise money for Comic Relief, appearing in comedy sketches with both Miranda Hart and James Corden. In 2012, JLS visited Uganda for Sport Relief, and appeared in VTs throughout the show. In the same year, JLS also released the official Sport Relief charity single "Proud", which peaked at number 6 in the chart, as well as hosting a special charity concert "JLS Sing for Sport Relief" and doing the Sport Relief Mile.
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| Something over the rainbow
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