You can’t tell from his name, but Dean Presley is a born and bred North Hollander. An Alkmaarder who, as a little boy, got behind a drum kit and soon after lost his heart to the guitar. And if your name is Presley, it is obvious to take a chance in the music world.
It’s quite something, bearing the names of two of the greatest icons the Western world has ever had: James Dean and Elvis Presley. Dean’s father is a huge Elvis fan and would have preferred to give his son Presley as his first name.
His mother put a stop to that. It was Dean. That’s a tribute to James Dean, of whom his mother is a big fan. Dean sees the humor in it; the references to those two world stars do not burden him at all.
Own identity
Dean also feels no obligation to go the way of Elvis in his music. He is much more influenced by The Beatles, whose music he learned about through his grandfather. Paul McCartney in particular is his great hero: “All the hits came from him. And I also think his solo work is very good.”
Isn’t it a shame that he was called Presley and not Dean Paul? “Or Paul Presley, could also have been done,” he laughs. But who he is named after is no further topic for him. He searches for his own musical identity.
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This is Dean Presley – NH News
At eighteen, Dean is the youngest participant in the North Holland preliminaries of the Regional Song Contest. His youth does not prevent him from taking a mature approach to his participation in the music competition; Although he normally writes his songs in English, he challenges himself and produces within an afternoon Can’t wait until the summer, a Dutch song that sounds so good that it earns him a place among the eight candidates.
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This is Kimberly – NH News
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