98 Degrees rose to fame in the late 90s with smash hits like “I Do (Cherish You)” and “The Hardest Thing.” Where are they now in 2024?
98 Degrees Formation And Debut
The members of the band met after Jeff Timmons, an Ohio native, quit college to pursue a music career. He traveled to Los Angeles, where he was introduced to Nick Lachey, who was studying sports medicine at the time. After hitting it off, the pair decided to form a band. Lachey eventually invited one of his friends, Justin Jeffre, whom he had performed with before, and his younger brother, who would become the final member.
Naming themselves “98 Degrees”, they attended a number of auditions in Los Angeles in hopes of building up contacts in the industry. They eventually landed an opportunity to perform on a radio broadcast, during which they caught the attention of Paris D’Jon, who was working with Montell Jordan at the time. They were later offered a recording deal with Motown.
Their debut single, “Invisible Man” was eventually released on June 24, 1997. A smash hit, it reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also made it onto the music charts in Canada, New Zealand, Scotland, and the UK. It was also accompanied by two music videos, one of which was shot in black and white and one of which was in full color.
The Band During the 90s
A month later, they came out with their debut album, 98 Degrees. A mix of R&B and pop, it consisted of 13 tracks including “Come and Get It”, “Heaven’s Missing An Angel”, “Intermood”, “Completely”, You Are Everything”, and “I Wanna Love You”, some of which were written by the band. While initial reviews were mixed, their vocal abilities were praised by some critics. The group also toured extensively, which helped to keep them in the public eye. As of 2024, the eponymous album has received gold certification in the US with more than 500,000 certified sales.
The next year, they released their second studio album, 98 Degrees and Rising. Recorded in Vancouver, British Columbia, the album included two covers, Mark Willis’ “She’s Out of My Life” and “I Do (Cherish You)”. It also included the songs “The Hardest Thing”, “She’s Out of My Life”, “If She Only Knew”, “Fly with Me”, and the collaboration “True to Your Heart”, which was featured in the 1998 Disney film, Mulan. If anything, that only boosted their popularity. By the end of 1998, the album had gone 4x platinum in the United States.
The album also gave rise to “Because of You”, which became the band’s first major hit. Not only did it peak at number three on the US Hot 100 chart but it also reached number five in Canada.
To promote the album, the group also embarked on their first concert tour, which kicked off on March 17, 1999. It consisted of 105 shows across North America, Australia, Asia, Europe, and South America and featured opening acts by Jessica Simpson, Joee, Maestro, and B*Witched, among other artists.
That same year, they released a holiday album titled, This Christmas, which included several classics including “O Holy Night”, “Silent Night”, and “The Little Drummer Boy.” Despite mediocre reviews, it peaked at number two on the Top Holiday Albums Chart and at number 27 on the Billboard 200. The group was also featured in the CBS TV special, A Christmas to Remember.
Not only that, but they were also featured in Mariah Carey’s single, “Thank God I Found You”, which came out on November 15, 1999. A power ballad, it reached number one on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and also charted in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and New Zealand, among many others. It eventually went gold in the United States with more than 700,000 copies sold. It also earned the group their first Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
98 Degrees During the Early 2000s
In July 2000, the band released their next single, “Give ME Just One Night (Una Noche), which peaked at number two on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart and on the US Billboard Hot 100. While it wasn’t as successfully internationally, it did reach the top 40 in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Australia.
The accompanying album, Revelation, was released a few months later in September 2000. Produced by Paris D’Jon, Bruce Carbone, and George Jackson, it included 13 new tracks including “My Everything”, “The Way You Do”, “Never Giving Up”, “The Way You want Me To”, “I’ll Give It All (Interlude)”, and “He’ll Never Be.” In the US, it entered the Billboard 200 at number two with over 275,000 sales in the first week. Not only that, but it also spawned the singles, “The Way You Want Me To”, and “My Everything”, both of which charted within the top 40 in the US.
To support the album, they also hit the road for another tour, which eventually wrapped up in May 2001. They also made an appearance at Madison Square Garden alongside Usher and Luther Vandross performing Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Morrow” to celebrate the artist’s 30-year anniversary as a solo artist.
Their next release, The Collection, was a compilation album. Released on May 7, 2002, it included several of their smash hits including “My Everything”, “Because of You”, “Invisible Man”, as well as the collaboration with Mariah Carey, “Thank God I Found You.” It also spawned a new single titled, “Why (Are We Still Friends)”, which ended up reaching the top 40 in the United States. By that point, the band had sold more than 10 million records altogether.
Hiatus and Eventual Reunions
It was announced in 2003 that the group will be going on hiatus. During that time, Drew and his wife welcomed their first child, Nick married Jessica Simpson, Jeff released a solo album, and Justin ran for mayor in Cincinnati, Ohio.
A year later, they reunited to perform in a TV Christmas special. They would do it again in 2005 to support Justin in his candidacy for major.
Fast forward to 2012, and it was announced that they would be reuniting for a performance at Mixtape Festival. That same year, they performed on The Today Show. For the performance, they rehearsed together for the first time in over a decade. Regarding the band’s future, however, they stated that they had no plans on reuniting beyond the one-off performances.
In the fall of 2012, however, the group revealed that they would be recording a new album. Titled 2.0, the project was later released on May 7, 2013, through eOne Music. Their first album in 13 years, it featured several tracks including “No Part of You”, “Impossible Things”, “Girls Night Out”, “Because of You (acoustic)”, and “Hush, Hush”, and peaked at number 65 on the US Billboard 200. It also reached number 12 on the Independent Album music chart.
The following year, they embarked on a joint tour named “The Package” with Boyz II Men and New Kids on the Block. They also appeared on the season finale of The Sing-Off, a singing reality competition series that’s hosted by Nick.
And in 2016, they reunited once again for the My2K Tour. A “throwback” tour for fans, it consisted of nearly 40 shows, most of which were in the United States. It also featured Dream and Ryan Cabrera as opening acts and O-Town as a special guest.
It was followed by a second Christmas album titled, Let It Show, in 2017. Released in celebration of their 20th anniversary, it included the songs, “Let It Show”, “What Child Is This”, “What Christmas Means to Me, and “Season of Love”, among a few others. The group also promoted it with a fall tour named the “At Christmas Tour.”
What’s 98 Degrees Doing Now in 2024 – Recent Updates
The band has made a number of public appearances over the past few years. In 2017, they performed in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and in 2018, they sang the songs, “I Do” and “The Hardest Thing” at Miss USA. They also appeared at Walt Disney World during the annual Food and Wine Festival as part of their Eat to the Beat concert series.
Last year, they also released a new song titled, “Where Do You Want to Go”. Their first release since 2013, it was accompanied by a music video, which has since received over 230,000 views on YouTube.
Earlier this year, they also collaborated with Canadian country artist Brett Kissel on the track, “Ain’t the Same.” This May, they also announced that they’ll be recording new music for their 25th anniversary. According to Justin, they plan on releasing a new single sometime in the summer and perhaps a song for Christmas. While they don’t plan on recording a full album, they may release an EP sometime in the future.
For now, they’re celebrating their silver anniversary with a number of public performances. Not only will they be performing at Walt Disney World’s International Food & Wine Festival at EPCOT, but they will also be performing at a local California winery.
And of course, they have their own independent projects.
What Has Nick Lachey Been Up To?
Last year, Nick competed in the fifth season of The Masked Singer, where he performed as the “Piglet”. He was later declared the winner during the final episode, which aired on May 26, 2021. Other contestants included Omarion, JoJo, Bobby Brown, Nick Cannon, Logan Paul, and Wiz Khalifa, among a few others.
That’s not all, he has also been the co-host of Love Is Blind, a dating reality series, since 2020. The last that we’d checked, the show had been renewed for a fourth and fifth season. Speaking of dating shows, he also co-hosts The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On, with his wife Vanessa Lachey. The series premiered on Netflix in April 2022 and has since been renewed for a second season.
Other shows that he’s appeared in include Miss USA 2019, Sugar Rush, Drop Mic, Top Chef Junior, Dancing with the Stars, and Burgers, Brew & ‘Que. From 2018 to 2020, he also lent his voice to the children’s animated series, Harvey Girls Forever!.
Where is Jeff Timmons in 2024?
In 2018, Jeff teamed up with Jessie Godderz to record the song, “The Girl Is With Me”. Not only did it receive rave reviews, but it was also accompanied by a music video—one that quickly went viral. The song was also featured in Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Tonight, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, People Magazine, and many other media outlets.
In terms of television appearances, he hasn’t made that many lately. However, he did appear in Live with Kelly and Ryan, Home & Family, Fox and Friends, and Cindy Uncorked in 2017. He also made a small appearance in the 2021 comedy film, Baking Up Love, starring David Otunga, Michael Bonini, and Alex Kermes.
And according to IMDb, he will be making a guest appearance in the TV series, Wrath & Rituals, sometime in the near future.
What Has Justin Jeffre Been Up To?
Justin has stayed out of the public eye for many years. If anything, he’s been focused on politics instead. Having said that, he did appear on a number of talk shows in 2017. For example, he was a guest on Big Morning Buzz Live, Hollywood Today Live, Entertainment Tonight, Fox and Friends, The Insider, Home & Family, and Live with Kelly and Ryan.
He has also been involved with the CincyPHLUSH, a chapter of the Oregon-based nonprofit Public Hygiene Lets Us Stay Human, which promotes “equal access to sanitation/toilet systems.”
What’s Drew Lachey Doing in 2024?
In the summer of 2019, Drew competed in the eleventh season of American Ninja Warrior. He was ultimately eliminated during the second obstacle in the Cincinnati city course. Prior to that, he had starred in his own reality series titled, Lachey’s: Raising the Bar, which centers around his family’s sports bar in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was later announced that the bar had closed permanently in February 2018.
Aside from that, he’s also made appearances in Good Morning America, Where Do You Wanna Go, Home & Family, Entertainment tonight, and Live with Kelly and Ryan.
Not only that, but he and his wife are also the co-founders of Lachey Arts, a non-profit arts program that aims to provide the youth of Cincinnati with top-level arts education.
