Preluders

Emerging from the expansive talent search initiative Popstars, the all-female pop ensemble Preluders achieved prominence during the third installment of the German edition, specifically the 2003 season titled Popstars: Das Duell. Out of 12,000 hopefuls who applied for the competition, just 27 received invitations to Orlando, FL, where they underwent vocal and fitness preparation. Ultimately, Anh-Thu Doan, Miriam Cani, Rebecca Miro, and Tertia Botha were chosen to constitute the Preluders, after which the quartet entered studio competition against their male rivals Overground. When neither act delivered sufficient recorded material, an additional member was assigned to each lineup. Anne Ross joined the Preluders owing to her vocal prowess, enabling the ensemble to complete their debut single, a rendition of R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion." Distributed promotionally at McDonalds outlets across Germany, the track moved more than 600,000 units during its opening week and stood as the group's strongest commercial release. Despite this achievement, the Preluders fell short in the final vote, securing only 48 percent against Overground.

Although they did not win the audience tally, the Preluders registered solid German chart performance in the months immediately after the program concluded. Their debut album's lead track, "Everyday Girl," arrived in stores within a month of the finale and claimed the top German chart position during its first week. The full album Everyday Girl followed shortly thereafter, entering at number two in Germany yet falling short of the platinum threshold reached by Overground's It's Done. The album's next offering, the 2004 single "Bal Prive," reached number 28 on the German charts and marked the close of the group's Top 20 presence. Their second album, Prelude to History, appeared that summer and produced several singles that charted below the Top 20 in Germany. Botha departed in June 2005 following injuries sustained in a car crash, with Miro exiting several months afterward. The remaining trio persisted by cutting the track "Never Before" for release on Edsel. The single never appeared, however, because Ross soon left to form Milk & Honey with Manel Filali, placing the project on indefinite hold. Cani and Doan later recruited Patricia "Trish" Sadowski for a renewed Preluders effort in early 2006. This configuration issued the single "I Want Your T.I.M.E.," which reached number 92 on the German charts. Dissatisfied with the modest result, the three members disbanded quietly in the fall of that year.