the Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Theatre for two years. In 1998, her seven-song debut release, entitled KIV, hit the market but found little to no recognition in the music industry. Career 2000–2003 After her studies in Leipzig, Catterfeld participated in the second season of the MDR singing competition series Stimme 2000, where she performed under her short-lived pseudonym Vivianne. Her self-written song "Whenever You Need a Friend" appeared on the show's promotional album Stimme 2000 – Die Finalisten. A critics' favorite, she finished second in the competition, losing to duo UC, consisting of singers Danny Heims and Kathrin Jantke, both of whom failed to sign a recording deal after the final show. Catterfeld, on the other hand, earned a management and recording contract with BMG sub-label Hansa Music by Stimme 2000 jury member and label boss Thomas Stein. In 2001, Hansa released Catterfeld's first single "Bum", a re-written German uptempo version of British girl group All Saints's 1998 hit single "Never Ever", promoting her under her surname only. The song failed to chart however. In support of her musical ambitions, she auditioned for a supporting role in the long-running RTL Television soap opera Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten the same year. Though generally unenthusiastic about an acting career at the time, Catterfeld accepted RTL's offer to join the cast as character Julia Blum. She first appeared on-screen in episode 2316, broadcast on 20 September 2001. Two months later, her next single "Komm zurück zu mir", a pop soul ballad, was released. A significant shift from the EDM-influenced sound of her debut single, it reached number 76 on the German Singles Chart. In 2002, Catterfeld was handpicked by musician Udo Lindenberg to appear on his 33rd album Atlantic Affairs. She recorded vocals for two songs on the album, which was later re-worked into a revue in which Catterfeld co-starred. Two further singles released by Catterfeld, "Niemand sonst" and "Gefühle", both reached the top forty of the German Singles Chart in 2002. In March 2003, "Für dich" was released. Composed by Dieter Bohlen and re-written for Catterfeld, the pop ballad was heavily promoted on GZSZ. Upon its release it became an instant success, reaching the top of charts in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. One of the best-selling singles of 2003, it sold 250,000 copies within three days and was certified platinum by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI). In May 2003, Catterfeld's debut