Aston Merrygold

Aston Iain Merrygold 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 Charts and a number one album on the UK Albums Charts. 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. Aston 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 is starring in the UK tour of The Wizard of Oz as the Tin Man. He's set to reprise the role in the West End at the Gillian Lynne Theatre.