A FORMER Popstars winner and two Australian Idol entrants have banded together and landed a major American recording deal.

Tamara Jaber, who was part of the group Scandal'us that was created from the TV series Popstars, and Idol contestants Reigan Derry and Hayley Aitken have been signed as a trio to Island Def Jam records in the US.

Jaber's fiance and manager, Kyle Sandilands, signed the as-yet-unannounced deal on behalf of the girls in New York recently.

Jaber arrived in Sydney on Friday to spend a few days with Sandilands before heading back to the US to continue working with Derry and Aitken on their album.

After years of stops and starts, the hard slog seems to have finally have paid off for Jaber.

Sandilands said Janet Jackson's music producer boyfriend, Jermaine Dupree, had met the talented trio and rapper Jay-Z took them to see his girlfriend, Beyonce Knowles, perform at Madison Square Gardens.

"It is a huge deal, a big money, multi-album deal. I could not be happier, I am really thrilled for her," Sandilands said.

Having signed to host Big Brother and extended his contract with Idol for three years, Sandilands has had to revise his plans to move semi-permanently to the US to be with Jaber.

"We have discussed doing the long-distance-relationship thing and both decided, after seven years of living out of each others pockets and making toast and tea for each other every day and night, there is no way she could live over there and I could live here. I will be here (Australia) during Idol and Big Brother and the rest of the time

I will be there (LA)," he said.