Universal Music Australia will provide a recording contract to the winner of “Popstars Live,” which airs on the national Seven Network. The label has tapped Trevor Steel, founding member of ’90s British band the Escape Club, to produce the winner’s album. Steel works at George Martin’s AIR Studios in London.
“Popstars” was created in 1999 by Sydney production company Screentime as a 13-part series documenting the making of a pop band. It launched girl band Bardot, which signed to Warner Music Australia and had top-10 chart success in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.
From the second series, in 2000, came urban act Scandal’us, which had a top-five domestic hit on Festival Mushroom Records.
The series was subsequently discontinued, but after the rival Ten Network had success last year from its similar “Australian Idol” program, Seven and Screentime resurrected the original format. It returned to Australian screens March 1.
