Popstars Live
Encyclopedia
Popstars Live was an Australian talent quest
television program similar to Australian Idol
that aired on the Seven Network
in early 2004. It also spawned a spin-off single and album that made the ARIA
charts in April that year. The show itself was an evolution of the original Popstars
series which aired between 2000 and 2002 on Seven.
Popstars Live premiered on the Seven Network in February 2004. It was scheduled to run for 16 weeks and was originally slated to air on Sunday and Wednesday nights. During its short run Popstars Live had a troubled history, with two key personnel, Christine Anu
and John Paul Young
, leaving the program in April 2004 while others have publicly expressed their own concerns about the show. The show was also a ratings failure.
, a reality television
program that was broadcast on the Seven Network between 2000 and 2002. The aim of that program was to select members for a pop
group
or a pop singer
and follow the process of recording a single and/or album and the subsequent promotion of the record made by the artists.
The Australian series saw the creation of three acts which enjoyed initial success:
While the 2000 series of Popstars was one of the most popular programs on Australian television in that year, its popularity steadily declined in later seasons. In 2003, the Seven Network rested the concept. However, the success of Australian Idol, a show that became the most popular program on Australian television that year, soon led to the Seven Network revisiting the Popstars format.
Record sales for Idol contestants also played a role in the resurrection of Popstars with Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian
releasing an album Just As I Am
that went six times platinum in Australia and runner up Shannon Noll
's That's What I'm Talking About
striking up sales of five times platinum. Hoping to emulate the success of BMG Records, which had signed on Sebastian and Noll, Universal Music quickly signed up for the new series.
The judges initially said that they would offer constructive criticism to the contestants unlike the strong and sometimes personal criticism offered by Mark Holden
and Ian "Dicko" Dickson.
Contestants Bunny and Xy were axed from the program in controversial circumstances. Kayne Taylor ended up winning the series, defeating Miranda Murphy in the final.
on Network Ten
and shows on the Nine Network
. David Leckie
, the managing director of the Seven Network, blamed the disappointing ratings on what he considered to be the bland comments of the judges and pressured the producers to ensure that the judges made stronger comments.
Christine Anu refused to offer harsh criticism of the contestants resigning in April 2004. In a statement issued on her departure, she said: "I chose to play a positive role model and wanted to encourage these young people in their endeavours, rather than criticise them. Although leaving Popstars Live was a difficult decision for me to make, I do feel somewhat relieved that I can now focus on my music." John Paul Young was sacked although the producers claimed that his contract had finished.
Ian "Molly" Meldrum and Tania Doko were also criticising elements of the program in the media in early April. Trevor Steel
, a UK record producer and the former lead singer of eighties pop group The Escape Club
, was brought in by Universal Music as a replacement judge to offer stronger criticism of contestants.
Ratings for Popstars Live continued to decline for the next episode. With 2003 Australian ratings blockbuster The Block due to commence its 2004 season on the Nine Network and American Idol performing well on Network Ten, the Seven Network executives shifted the program from Sunday night to Saturday night and scheduled wildlife documentaries to fill the slot. As Saturday night is the night of the week when the fewest people watch television in Australia and when members of the target audience for Popstars Live are most likely to go out, this shift was widely perceived as an admission of defeat by network executives. The Saturday night program was dropped altogether a few episodes later, leaving only the Wednesday program.
This contrasts with the sales success of artists appearing on Australian Idol and to a lesser extent the original Popstars. With the television program being moved to a different timeslot less likely to catch the eyes of potential record buyers and the single failing to attract support of radio, it seems as though the album will disappoint the hopes of Universal Music who would have been hoping to match the success of BMG Records from Australian Idol contestants.
Talent Quest
Talent Quest is an organization which organizes a singing contest which is conducted in the United States. Singers perform songs with karaoke background music tracks, and are judged by vocal ability, stage presence, and presentation/appearance...
television program similar to Australian Idol
Australian Idol
Australian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
that aired on the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
in early 2004. It also spawned a spin-off single and album that made the ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
charts in April that year. The show itself was an evolution of the original Popstars
Popstars
Popstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss...
series which aired between 2000 and 2002 on Seven.
Popstars Live premiered on the Seven Network in February 2004. It was scheduled to run for 16 weeks and was originally slated to air on Sunday and Wednesday nights. During its short run Popstars Live had a troubled history, with two key personnel, Christine Anu
Christine Anu
-Early life:Anu was born in Cairns, Queensland to a Torres Strait Islander mother from Saibai and Mabuiag Islands.-Career:Anu began performing as a dancer and later went on to sing back-up vocals for The Rainmakers, which included Neil Murray of the Warumpi Band. Her first recording was in 1993...
and John Paul Young
John Paul Young
John Paul Young is an Australian pop singer who had a 1978 worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air"...
, leaving the program in April 2004 while others have publicly expressed their own concerns about the show. The show was also a ratings failure.
Origins
Popstars Live was based on the original PopstarsPopstars
Popstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss...
, a reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
program that was broadcast on the Seven Network between 2000 and 2002. The aim of that program was to select members for a pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
or a pop singer
Pop Singer
"Pop Singer" is the début single from London-based glam rockers Rachel Stamp. It was released in February, 1996 through WEA. The single was released as a 2 track CD Single and limited edition pink 7" vinyl of 1000 copies...
and follow the process of recording a single and/or album and the subsequent promotion of the record made by the artists.
The Australian series saw the creation of three acts which enjoyed initial success:
- BardotBardotBardot was an Australian female pop group which formed in 1999 on the Australian reality television series of Popstars. Aired in early 2000, the program was a fresh concept to audiences, attracting high ratings and much attention in the media....
(2000) a girl groupGirl groupA girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
number one single and album; - Scandal'usScandal'usScandal'us were the winners of the Australian Popstars 2 in 2001 . They won an ARIA Award for the No. 1 debut single "Me Myself & I". Their second and final single, "Make Me Crazy", only reached No. 30. Their debut album, Startin' Somethin, debuted and peaked at No...
(2001) a mixed popPop musicPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
groupBand (music)In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, number one single, number two album; - Scott CainScott CainScott Cain is the winner of the third Australian Popstars competition in 2002.In his earlier years he was a member of a band named Funkapation, who released the album Peanut Butter Brick in 2000. In the same year Funkapation competed in the Hastings Valley Battle of the Bands earning Scott the...
(2002) a male singer, number one single.
While the 2000 series of Popstars was one of the most popular programs on Australian television in that year, its popularity steadily declined in later seasons. In 2003, the Seven Network rested the concept. However, the success of Australian Idol, a show that became the most popular program on Australian television that year, soon led to the Seven Network revisiting the Popstars format.
Record sales for Idol contestants also played a role in the resurrection of Popstars with Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian
Guy Sebastian
Guy Theodore Sebastian is an Australian pop, R&B, and soul singer-songwriter who was the first winner of Australian Idol in 2003. He is currently a judge on the Australian version of The X Factor. Sebastian has released six top ten platinum/multi platinum albums, including a number-one and...
releasing an album Just As I Am
Just as I Am
Just as I Am can refer to:*Just as I Am — a 1971 album by Bill Withers. It includes the hit single "Ain't No Sunshine".*Just as I Am — the debut album by Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian....
that went six times platinum in Australia and runner up Shannon Noll
Shannon Noll
Shannon Noll first came to prominence as runner-up of the first series of Australian Idol which led to him being signed to Sony BMG. Since then he has released five Top 10 albums and ten Top 10 singles. His first two albums That's What I'm Talking About in 2004 and Lift in 2005 debuted at No...
's That's What I'm Talking About
That's What I'm Talking About
That's What I'm Talking About is the debut album by Australian singer Shannon Noll, released on 8 February 2004 . The album includes a longer version of his number one smash-hit, 5x Platinum debut single, "What About Me", the Bryan Adams penned Top 5 single, "Drive", as well as the number one...
striking up sales of five times platinum. Hoping to emulate the success of BMG Records, which had signed on Sebastian and Noll, Universal Music quickly signed up for the new series.
Format
The first five programs featured the selection of the finalists by the judges. The finalists would then sing live in front of an audience with one finalist being eliminated each week until the final winner is selected. The program aimed to attract a large proportion of voters under 25, a similar as Australian Idol.Cast
The Popstars Team consisted of:- Luke JacobzLuke JacobzLuke Jacobz on 14 February 1981, Sydney is an Australian actor and television presenter.-Career:'Jacobz' is a screen name, derived from adding a 'z' to the actor's middle name of Jacob...
host; - Ian "Molly" MeldrumIan MeldrumIan Alexander "Molly" Meldrum AM is an Australian popular music critic, journalist, record producer , and musical entrepreneur...
judge; - Christine AnuChristine Anu-Early life:Anu was born in Cairns, Queensland to a Torres Strait Islander mother from Saibai and Mabuiag Islands.-Career:Anu began performing as a dancer and later went on to sing back-up vocals for The Rainmakers, which included Neil Murray of the Warumpi Band. Her first recording was in 1993...
judge; - Shauna Jensen judge;
- Tania Doko artist mentor;
- John Paul YoungJohn Paul YoungJohn Paul Young is an Australian pop singer who had a 1978 worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air"...
artist mentor;
The judges initially said that they would offer constructive criticism to the contestants unlike the strong and sometimes personal criticism offered by Mark Holden
Mark Holden
Mark Holden is an Australian singer, television personality and barrister. He was one of a panel of three judges on the television series Australian Idol.-Acting career:...
and Ian "Dicko" Dickson.
Finalists
The finalists were (in order of elimination):- Tarryn Wall
- Renee Simone
- Kiki Courtidis
- Don Pancho
- Daniel Hamill
- Arrnott Olssen
- Eleven (Luke and Nick)
- Sarah Gardner - who made it into the top 63 in Australian IdolAustralian IdolAustralian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
2007 - see image 10 of the top 63 at http://www.australianidol.com.au/photos.html?xmlFile=830.xml - Miranda Murphy, from Perth, Western AustraliaPerth, Western AustraliaPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. On 12 July 2004, her debut single debuted at number 19 on the Australian singles charts on 22 July 2004. After an unusually lengthy hiatus from the music scene, and a general lack of activity, it is widely suspected she has been dropped by her record company, due to poor single sales, and a national declining interest in 'bubblegum pop' products of talent quest programs. She now works at "Jaanz school of singing". - Kayne TaylorKayne TaylorKayne Taylor is a pop music singer from Melbourne, Victoria who won the 2004 Australian series of Popstars Live. Taylor started singing in 1994 and can also play bass and guitar.-Popstars Live:...
, from MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
who won the 2004 AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n series.
Contestants Bunny and Xy were axed from the program in controversial circumstances. Kayne Taylor ended up winning the series, defeating Miranda Murphy in the final.
Reception and controversies
The first live performance attracted disappointing ratings when broadcast, attracting only 850,000 in Australian mainland capitals, finishing behind American IdolAmerican Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
on Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
and shows on the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
. David Leckie
David Leckie
David John Leckie is the Chief Executive Officer of the Seven Media Group.David Leckie was educated at Newington College and is an Economics graduate of Macquarie University. Prior to his appointment by Kerry Stokes to Seven, he was associated with the Nine Network for 23 years...
, the managing director of the Seven Network, blamed the disappointing ratings on what he considered to be the bland comments of the judges and pressured the producers to ensure that the judges made stronger comments.
Christine Anu refused to offer harsh criticism of the contestants resigning in April 2004. In a statement issued on her departure, she said: "I chose to play a positive role model and wanted to encourage these young people in their endeavours, rather than criticise them. Although leaving Popstars Live was a difficult decision for me to make, I do feel somewhat relieved that I can now focus on my music." John Paul Young was sacked although the producers claimed that his contract had finished.
Ian "Molly" Meldrum and Tania Doko were also criticising elements of the program in the media in early April. Trevor Steel
Trevor Steel
Trevor Steel is the singer in the band, The Escape Club, Songwriter, Record Producer and Record Label owner based in Sydney, Australia.Genre: Pop, rock,Career....
, a UK record producer and the former lead singer of eighties pop group The Escape Club
The Escape Club
The Escape Club began in 1983 as an English pop rock band based in London. The band was composed of former Mad Shadows members' lead singer/rhythm guitarist Trevor Steel and guitarist John Holliday, along with former Expressos members bassist Johnnie Christo and drummer Milan Zekavica...
, was brought in by Universal Music as a replacement judge to offer stronger criticism of contestants.
Ratings for Popstars Live continued to decline for the next episode. With 2003 Australian ratings blockbuster The Block due to commence its 2004 season on the Nine Network and American Idol performing well on Network Ten, the Seven Network executives shifted the program from Sunday night to Saturday night and scheduled wildlife documentaries to fill the slot. As Saturday night is the night of the week when the fewest people watch television in Australia and when members of the target audience for Popstars Live are most likely to go out, this shift was widely perceived as an admission of defeat by network executives. The Saturday night program was dropped altogether a few episodes later, leaving only the Wednesday program.
Album
Universal Music released an album Popstars Live: The Finalists featuring the finalists singing versions of well-known songs. The first single "Stand Up Next To Me" features the finalists singing on the track.Sales Performance
In their first week of sales from 5 April 2004, the single barely made the Australian Top 50 and the album could only debut at number 61. Although Universal Music shipped enough copies of both the single and the album to stores to achieve gold status in Australia (35,000 copies), the single and the album only sold one thousand copies. The single eventually reached #29 on the charts and the album reached the ARIA Top 50. Kayne Taylor's debut single Heartbreaker debuted in the top 10 of the Australian charts at the end of June 2004. Runner-up Miranda Murphy also had a debut single That Girl released, and it debuted in the top 20 a few weeks after. However, this didn't seem to boost the success of Popstars Live nor its contestants, with no others releasing singles, nor have Kayne or Miranda released a second single as of November 2004.This contrasts with the sales success of artists appearing on Australian Idol and to a lesser extent the original Popstars. With the television program being moved to a different timeslot less likely to catch the eyes of potential record buyers and the single failing to attract support of radio, it seems as though the album will disappoint the hopes of Universal Music who would have been hoping to match the success of BMG Records from Australian Idol contestants.
Track listing
The track listing for the album is:- "Stand Up Next To Me" (all finalists)
- "Don't Dream It's OverDon't Dream It's Over-12": Capitol / 12CL 438 United Kingdom :* also available on CD and MC-Personnel:*Neil Finn: Vocals and guitar*Nick Seymour: Bass guitar*Paul Hester: Drums and backing vocals*Mitchell Froom: Keyboards-Release history:- Charts :...
" - Kiki (hit for Crowded HouseCrowded HouseCrowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...
) - "Jealous GuyJealous Guy"Jealous Guy" is a song written and performed by John Lennon which first appeared on his 1971 album Imagine. It is one of the most commonly covered Lennon songs, with at least ninety-two recorded cover versions, the most notable being Roxy Music's version, which reached number one in several...
" - Kayne Taylor (hit for John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and later Roxy MusicRoxy MusicRoxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
) - "Killing Me Softly With His SongKilling Me Softly with His Song"Killing Me Softly with His Song" is a 1971 song composed by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel. It has been covered by numerous artists, most notably by Roberta Flack whose version topped the U.S...
" - Miranda Murphy (hit for Roberta FlackRoberta FlackRoberta Flack is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is notable for jazz, soul, R&B, and folk music...
and later The FugeesThe FugeesFugees were a Haitian American hip hop group who rose to fame in the mid-1990s. Their repertoire included elements of Hip hop, soul and Caribbean music, particularly reggae. The members of the group were rapper/singer/producer Wyclef Jean, rapper/singer/producer Lauryn Hill, and rapper Pras Michel...
) - "Tainted LoveTainted Love"Tainted Love" is a song composed by Ed Cobb, formerly of The Four Preps, which was originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1965. It attained worldwide fame after being covered by Soft Cell in 1981, reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart, and has since been covered by numerous groups and...
" - Don Pancho (hit for Gloria JonesGloria JonesGloria Richetta Jones is an American singer and songwriter from Los Angeles, California. She recorded the 1964 northern soul song, "Tainted Love", later a hit for the British synth-pop duo, Soft Cell. She was the girlfriend of glam rock artist Marc Bolan of the band T...
and later Soft CellSoft CellSoft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. They consist of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The duo is most widely known for their 1981 worldwide hit version of "Tainted Love" and platinum debut Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret...
) - "Truly Madly DeeplyTruly Madly Deeply"Truly Madly Deeply" is a song by Australian pop band Savage Garden, released as a single in March 1997. Written by band-mates Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones, the song is a reworking of a song called "Magical Kisses" that the pair wrote together long before recording began on their debut album....
" - Tarryn (originally a hit for Savage GardenSavage GardenSavage Garden were an Australian pop rock performance and songwriting duo. Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones formed the group in Brisbane, Queensland in 1994...
) - "Beautiful" - Arrnott Olssen (hit for Christina AguileraChristina AguileraChristina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
) - "Nothing Compares 2 UNothing Compares 2 U"Nothing Compares 2 U" is a pop song written by American recording artist Prince for one of his side-projects, The Family. However, it wasn't until Sinéad O'Connor recorded her version for the album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got when it became a worldwide hit, topping charts in 15 countries,...
" - Renee Simone (originally by Prince, hit for Sinéad O'ConnorSinéad O'ConnorSinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
) - "The Air That I BreatheThe Air That I Breathe"The Air That I Breathe" is a ballad written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood, initially recorded by Albert Hammond on his 1972 album It Never Rains In Southern California.-History:...
" - Daniel Hamill (originally a hit for The HolliesThe HolliesThe Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
) - "Everybody Wants To Rule The WorldEverybody Wants to Rule the World"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a song by the British New Wave band Tears for Fears.It was the band's ninth single release in the United Kingdom and seventh UK Top 40 chart hit, peaking at number two in April 1985...
" - Luke Parry and Nick de Silwa (originally a hit for Tears for FearsTears for FearsTears for Fears are an English new wave band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, they were initially associated with the New Wave synthesiser bands of the early 1980s but later branched out into...
) - "Everlasting LoveEverlasting Love"Everlasting Love" is a song written by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden that has been a hit for various artists, including Robert Knight, Carl Carlton, Love Affair, and Gloria Estefan.- Overview :...
" - Sarah Gardner (originally a hit for a variety of artists including U2 and Gloria Estefan) - "You Will Always Shine" - Bunny and Xy written by Willie Allen