Proud time for Derbyshire teenager Presley Lewis who is releasing his first album

Aptly called 13 to match his age, Presley's CD is out on June 3.

He said: "I have worked very hard to achieve my album and I'm very proud of it. It is one year since I released my first single, My Best Friend about my dog Elvis."

Presley is determined to make a name for himself with his material, even turning down the chance to perform on television. He said: "I got an offer to go on The Voice but I cancelled because I wanted to sing my own songs."

Young love and loss are among the subjects covered on his debut album.

My Girl is a song about Presley's first girlfriend and how he felt on a date. His dad James said: "It's like a Beatles song - it's really sweet."

Love is the theme of the song Isabella while another, Pulled Us Apart, charts the aftermath of the break-up.

The track First Day At High School mirrors the emotion of going from being the eldest student at primary school to the youngest at secondary school.

Family members have inspired songs on the album. Losing Someone is about how Presley felt when cancer robbed him of his grandma. He said: "I hope it helps people cope with their loss.”

Hello Out There was written for his dad, an Elvis fan. Presley, who lives in Fletcher Avenue, Dronfield, describes this song as having a rock and roll vibe with a splash of country.

James said: "Presley has got dyslexia but he can remember the songs and he's a brilliant performer. We had a practice in the back garden to get him ready for live events and they were all clapping out of the windows around the block."

Presley’s whirl of promotion for the album includes radio and newspaper interviews, putting up posters and giving out stickers and badges.

He has signed 100 copies of his CD, which also carry an official artist's stamp, and these are available exclusively from his shop presleylewis.biz. The album will also be available from Amazon but won't be signed.

Tireless songwriter Presley is already working on songs for his second album which he says will have an indie vibe.

The youngest of six boys, he started writing in 2020. "I was really bored in lockdown and I wrote these songs in my book," said Presley.

HIs parents bought him a guitar for £30 from eBay to encourage him in his writing. James said: "The problem we had was that Presley is left-handed and most of the things on YouTube where you can learn are for right-handed players, so we thought music lessons...."

Presley takes up the story: "I didn't really think I was that good at singing until I went to my first music lesson at Dronfield Music Tuition. My producer Joe Phipps-Pearson taught me how to sing."

Joe teaches nearly 200 pupils but Presley is the first one to bring out an album which he recorded at his tutor’s business premises on Callywhite Lane.

The teenager’s next goal is to perform his songs live. He said: "My first gig might be on stage for 30 minutes at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham (70) Birthday celebration on Sunday, August 17.”

When asked what he wants to do when he leaves Dronfield’s Henry Fanshawe School, Presley said: "Hopefully, I'm still a musician, a singer/songwriter.”

You can you follow his progress on the YouTube channel: Official Artist Presley Lewis, on Spotify and Apple Music, Instagram @presleylewis87, Facebook: Presley Lewis, Twitter: presleylewis17 and TikTok: presley1lewis.

With such a presence on social media it's little wonder that Presley has nearly 50,000 followers!