THERE was a strange sense of deja vu last night. A pre-fab pop group, discovered and formed by a top-rating TV show, were unleashed into the big, cruel world of record deals, in-store appearances and magazine cover shoots.

Scandal'us, the five-member group chosen from thousands of hopefuls in the latest series of Popstars, made its debut in front of celebrities, music industry heavyweights and 300 contest winners at Planet Hollywood.

Band manager and Popstars judge Les Gock told The Daily Telegraph's media writer Brooke Williamson the band could make it globally.

"I seriously and genuinely believe they could be world-beaters," he said, sounding like a modern-day Colonel Tom Parker. "What they are doing is totally unique in the world, but at the same time totally popular and very, very contemporary."

Totally unique? Totally popular? Hmmm, time will tell, Mr Gock, time will tell.

The group, which has a harder-edged, urban R&B feel, performed three songs including History, Make Me Crazy and the first single Me, Myself & I, which is released today.

Gock said it was inevitable the group would be compared with Bardot, the five girls who graduated from the first Popstars series.

"They are miles and miles away from Bardot and it will only take one listen and one look to work out this is a totally different ballgame," he said.

Gock said the five youngsters -- Daniela Scala, Anna Belperio, Tamara Jaber, Jason Bird and Simon Ditcham -- had been given a lot of freedom in their look and repertoire.

"I was never happy about the name, or their choice of single," Gock said.

"But they absolutely loved the name, and the song and the look and all I'm interested in is their passion and whatever makes them passionate is the right thing to do."

Gock said considering the band had an average age of 20, they were perfectly placed to know what the market wanted.

"They know exactly what people their age are after," Gock said.

"They're making the music that they love, they're not trying to make music that's too old for them, or too young for them.

"And all we want them to be, is to be themselves."