POPSTAR reject Kevin Simm launched his own band today and threw down the gauntlet to Hear'Say claiming: "We are just as good as you."

East Lancashire based Kevin has teamed up with his fellow four 'dropstars' who narrowly missed being part of the group put together by television producers.

Hear'Say have gone on to record the fastest selling debut single ever --Plain and Simple -- notching up 550,000 sales in its first week, and recently made history when they became the first band to top both the single and charts at the same time.

But Kevin remains defiant that his band Liberty have what it takes to match the success of Hear'Say -- and his parents back him up.

Liberty, which also features Jessica Taylor from Preston, are in London recording songs for their first album. They are also deciding which record label to sign with after five offers.

Speaking in the latest edition of celebrity magazine Star, Kevin, of Bolton Road, Abbey Village, near Blackburn, said: "I just hope the public still like us when we release our first track. For me things have worked out for the best in the end. I think we are just as talented as Hear'Say."

The 20-year-old's parents, Stephen and Bernadette, run Royal Hotel, in Bolton Road, Abbey Village where Kevin used to sing before he hit the fame trail. Mum Bernadette has no doubt that Liberty will be better and even bigger than Hear'Say. She said: "They have got a lot of support off people already and all the regulars are behind Kevin. I haven't heard them but I think they will be brilliant and they can play here anytime."

The band's manager Richard Hannan said big things were on the horizon for his five young starlets, who were nicknamed the "dropstars" when they failed to make the final band in the hit ITV show.

He said: "The reaction we have had so far is 100 per cent positive. Hear'Say are so big at the moment and we hope we can be as well."

The band is Kevin's latest brush with fame having, appeared in Stars in Their Eyes in 1999 and been a part of boy band Force Five, who appeared at Blackpool Pleasure Beach which probably explains why he was not affected by rejection as much as the others.

The seasoned professional, described by fellow band members as the "strong and silent type" said: "It was a competition after all and getting into the final 10 was a real confidence boost in itself, but the music industry can be superficial and obviously my face just didn't fit the bill."