98 Degrees is a Grammy-Nominated American boy band consisting of four vocalists: brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Jeff Timmons.
98 Degrees | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Los Angeles |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Members | Justin Jeffre Nick Lachey Drew Lachey Jeff Timmons |
- This article is about the band; for the body temperature, see 98.6.
The group was formed in Los Angeles, but its members are all from Ohio. Some fans do not consider them a "boy band" because unlike most boy bands, they formed independently and were later picked up by a record label, as opposed to being assembled a label or a producer (as was the case with The Backstreet Boys and NSYNC). They have sold over 10 million records and achieved 8 top 40 singles.
98 Degrees: Debut Album 1997
The group was originally signed to the Motown label in the mid-1990s. Their first single was "Invisible Man" which peaked at # 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their debut album "98°" and their first single "Invisible Man" were both certified Gold. Their second single was "Was It Something I Didn't Say".
98 Degrees and Rising: 1998
After building popularity with their appearance in the movie Mulan, singing "True to Your Heart," a duet with labelmate Stevie Wonder, their success broke out in late 1998 with their 4x platinum album 98° and Rising, which included the hit singles "The Hardest Thing" and "I Do (Cherish You)". After the first album, 98 Degrees left Motown for its parent company, Universal Records. All three albums after their first went platinum.
The bands first major hit was "Because of You", which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went Platinum. Then "The Hardest Thing" followed the success by reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold.
This Christmas: 1999
In 1999, 98 Degrees released their Christmas album "This Christmas", which spawned the top 40 single "This Gift". Only within a month after it's release the album was certified platinum. Nick Lachey was featured on Jessica Simpson's album on the track "Where You Are", which was released as a single and reached the top 40. The group scored a Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit in the U.S. with the single "Thank God I Found You", a collaboration with Mariah Carey and Joe. The single went gold, selling 700,000 copies. It stayed at #1 on the Hot 100 for 1 week and was on the Top 200 Single Sales Chart for 51 weeks.[citation needed] The single went to the top 10 in the UK Charts and the group also received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for the same song.
Revelation: 2000-2001
In the summer of 2000, 98 Degrees released the first single of their new album "Give Me Just One Night (Une Noche)", the single went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold. On September, 2000 the band's new album "Revelation" was released. Revelation peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 and went 2x platinum. The band's next singles were "My Everything" and "The Way You Want Me To", both reaching the top 40.
The Collection: 2002
In 2002, 98 Degrees released a compilation album called "The Collection", with the new single "Why (Are We Still Friends)". The single "Why (Are We Still Friends)" reached the top 40, at that point the group had sold over 10 million records and released 12 singles.
During their hiatus
In 2002, the group decided to take a break to fulfill other ambitions and opportunities. Drew Lachey has stated on their website that 98 Degrees is not broken up, they are just on an extended hiatus. During the hiatus, Nick Lachey married (and later divorced) singer Jessica Simpson and released two solo albums, SoulO and What's Left of Me. Drew Lachey and his wife had their first daughter shortly after he won the second season of Dancing with the Stars. Jeff Timmons released a solo album, Whisper That Way, and plans to release a second solo album. Justin Jeffre ran for mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Reunions and future: 2004-2005
The band came together in 2004 to sing on Nick & Jessica's Family Christmas TV special. In September 2005, 98 Degrees performed at Club Purgatory in Over-the-Rhine to support bandmate Justin Jeffre in his candidacy for mayor of Cincinnati.
Upcoming Album: 2006
As of early 2006, both Nick Lachey and Jeff Timmons have stated that 98 Degrees will have another album in the near future. On June 21, 2006, Drew Lachey was a guest caller on "Elvis Duran and the Morning Zoo" morning show in New York on Z-100. There he officially stated that 98 Degrees was never broken up, and will be returning soon. The band, right now, is planning on releasing a new album with brand new material at the end of 2006 and the speculated title will be "Back at 98 Degrees". Unlike the Backstreet Boys, they will still keep their style that was popular with the album Revelation and may feature other artists in their songs, such as Carly Simon in particular.
Discography
Albums
- (1997) 98 Degrees - #145 US (Gold)
- (1998) 98 Degrees and Rising - #14 US (4x platinum)
- (1999) This Christmas - #27 US (platinum)
- (2000) Revelation - #2 US (2x platinum)
- (2002) The 98 Degrees Collection - #153 US
- (2006-2007) Upcoming Album
Nick Lachey's Albums
- (2003) SOulo - #51 US
- (2006) What's Left of Me - #2 US (Gold)
Jeff Timmon's Albums
"Revelation" US Sales
98 DEGREES, REVELATION
- Week 1: 293,000 (293,000)
- Week 2: 138,000 (431,000)
- Week 3: 104,000 (535,000)
- Week 4: 77,000 (612,000)
- Week 5: 62,000 (674,000)
- Week 6: 55,000 (729,000)
- Week 7: 54,000 (783,000)
- Week 8: 59,000 (842,000)
- Week 9: 112,000 (954,000)
- Week 10: 88,000 (1,042,000)
- Week 11: 105,000 (1,147,000)
- Week 12: 121,000 (1,268,000)
The album has since gone double platinum.
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US AC | US Hot AC | Top 40 Mainstream | Rhythmic Top 40 | UK Singles Chart | |||
| 1997 | Invisible Man | #12 | #26 | - | #12 | #8 | #66 | 98 Degrees |
| 1998 | Was It Something I Didn't Say | - | - | - | - | - | - | 98 Degrees |
| 1999 | True To Your Heart | - | - | - | - | - | #51 | 98 Degrees And Rising |
| 1998 | Because of You | #3 | - | - | #15 | #39 | #36 | 98 Degrees And Rising |
| 1999 | I Do (Cherish You) | #13 | #4 | #36 | #7 | #5 | - | 98 Degrees And Rising |
| 1999 | The Hardest Thing | #5 | #4 | #32 | #6 | #10 | #29 | 98 Degrees And Rising |
| 1999 | This Gift | #40 | #13 | - | - | - | - | This Christmas |
| 2000 | Thank God I Found You w/ Mariah Carey & Joe |
#1 | - | - | #28 | #9 | #10 | The Collection |
| 2000 | Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche) | #2 | - | #38 | #8 | #19 | #61 | Revelation |
| 2000 | My Everything | #34 | #13 | - | #12 | #23 | - | Revelation |
| 2001 | The Way You Want Me To | - | - | - | - | - | - | Revelation |
| 2002 | Why (Are We Still Friends) | - | - | - | - | - | - | The Collection |