Alex Preston
From New Hampshire to the National Stage
A
merican Idol Season 13, Second Runner-Up
Alex Preston, a self-proclaimed band geek
from Mount Vernon, NH, is now the current
heart-throb and musical inspiration for teens and
young-adults around the country after starring in
over 15 episodes.
It was his father, Paul Philbrick, who first ignited the idea for his son to audition for the show in
August 2013. “I found out you could audition online and I just decided to, randomly,” Preston said,
who at the time was living in Nashville, working
40 hours a week at a furniture store, and making
8 • CIDER MAG • cidermag.com
By Juliana Wilson
time at night to write music.
From his online audition he got invited to Hollywood to perform a live American Idol audition.
Preston daringly sang an original song, “Fairytales”—now a hit single on iTunes—for the show’s
judges, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry
Connick, Jr., which won him a spot on the very
popular television show, where he continued to impress America week after week.
“I chose an original because if I got rejected then
it would be myself and there would be no regrets,”
said Preston who holds high standards and strong
convictions for his own music. “Since its an original song then its you pitching yourself as an artist,
and if they say no then you’re not meant to be on
the show, but if they say yes then its kinda like
June • 2014