An East Lancashire singer, who once appeared on The Voice UK, has today (15 July) released a brand new single – and it has an adorable local link.

Burnley-born Preston D Barnes, real name David Barnes, has released ‘Way Back When’ and dedicated it to his grandparents.

It was originally written by Canadian songwriter Victoria Dykes who wrote it about her own grandparents, but Preston resonated with the lyrics.

Preston, who grew up in Nelson, said: “Victoria wrote the song because her grandparents taught her manners and brought her up properly.

“It’s about having a really strong relationship and how you progress through life as a couple.

“I wanted to put the same story behind my grandparents, who sadly aren’t here anymore.

“They lived in Nelson for their whole lives.”

Preston wanted to include as many Lancashire links as he could and even took his single cover picture outside a mechanics garage Brunswick Street in Nelson, which they owned for over 30 years.

Preston, who made it to the last 26 on The Voice UK in 2016, said: “We have such a deep Lancashire link in our family so I really wanted to include my roots in the single release because you should never lose your roots.

“My grandparents lived in Nelson for their whole lives - my grandad was my hero.

“Now the garage been released on a single cover which I just thought was really nice and linked well to the story of the song.”

It’s not the first single that Preston has released this year, with both Add A Little You and Poison reaching the top 10 in the UK Country iTunes Country Charts.

Preston, 44, said: “I have been working with my record label ever since leaving The Voice and trying to find the right sound for me.

“We decided to venture into country pop and rock. This new track is a really up tempo and feel good track.

“We hope it will also reach the iTunes top 10, like the other two. It’s a song that a lot of people can relate to which is exactly why we wrote it.”

You can listen to Way Back When and keep up-to-date with Preston at the following link: www.withkoji.com/@Prestondbarnes