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But he set his sights on stardom and first attracted attention on Popstars, the ground-breaking 2001 talent show, with his theatrical cover of Britney Spears’ Baby One More Time. Later that year, he resurfaced on the follow-up, Pop Idol, minus the ponytail and beard, and with a new attitude that took him to the last three. The final was watched by more than 13 million people.
