Editing 98 Degrees (section)

==History==

===Formation===
The founding members of 98 Degrees met after [[Massillon, Ohio]] native [[Jeff Timmons]] decided to quit college and pursue a music career with best friend Jeremy Volk. He studied psychology at [[Kent State University]] in his home state of Ohio, and planned on a career playing football in the [[NFL]]. In 1995 he sang at a college party with three friends and received a positive reaction from the female audience about his voice. The following day he left college and headed out to Los Angeles, California.<ref name="book">{{cite book |last1=Brereton |first1=Erin |last2=Fantle |first2=David |last3=Helmes |first3=Amy |last4=Johnson |first4=Thomas |last5=Sahn |first5=Geri |editor-first=John |editor-last=Delavan |title=98° – Revelation |year=2000 |publisher=H&S Media |isbn=978-1-57243-404-2 |page=58 }}</ref> "It was a pretty hasty decision, looking back, but I was young and dumb. Sometimes ignorance is bliss," he said in 2004.<ref>{{cite news|title=Former 98 Degrees singer still warming up|last=Mauet|first=Sarah|date=November 25, 2004|work=[[Arizona Daily Star]]|publisher=[[Lee Enterprises]]}}</ref> He met a former student of the Cincinnati [[School for Creative and Performing Arts]] who passed his name on to another graduate, [[Nick Lachey]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090319/LIFE/903190344/SCPA-looking-good |title=SCPA, looking good |last=Kiesewetter |first=John |date=March 19, 2009 |work=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]]|publisher=[[Gannett Company]] |access-date=January 21, 2011 }}</ref> who was attending [[Miami (of Ohio) University]] to study sports medicine.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brereton |first1=Erin |last2=Fantle |first2=David |last3=Helmes |first3=Amy |last4=Johnson |first4=Thomas |last5=Sahn |first5=Geri |editor-first=John |editor-last=Delavan |title=98° – Revelation |year=2000 |publisher=H&S Media |isbn=978-1-57243-404-2 |page=36 }}</ref> Lachey flew to Los Angeles and, after hitting it off, decided to form a boyband. Lachey suggested inviting one of his friends, Justin Jeffre, to join them. Jeffre, a history student at [[University of Cincinnati]], had attended SCPA with Lachey and they had performed together before in various outfits such as a [[Barbershop music|barbershop quartet]] at the [[Kings Island]] amusement park <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kicentral.com/history/shows.php |title=Kings Island Central – Kings Island History – Kings Island Shows and Entertainment |publisher=Kicentral.com |date=July 13, 1983 |access-date=April 18, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120524155756/http://www.kicentral.com/history/shows.php |archive-date=May 24, 2012 |df=mdy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visitkingsisland.com/public/news/media/story_ideas.cfm |title=Story Ideas &#124; Media Center &#124; News &#124; Kings Island - Mason, OH |access-date=2013-04-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100710001307/http://www.visitkingsisland.com/public/news/media/story_ideas.cfm |archive-date=July 10, 2010 |df=mdy }}</ref> and a [[cover band]].<ref name="book" /> The final member to join the band was Lachey's younger brother [[Drew Lachey|Drew]], who was working in New York City as an [[emergency medical technician]],  as a replacement for founding member Jonathan Lippmann.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2009/05/28/2009-05-28_former_98_degrees_singer_drew_lachey_takes_host_turn_on_.html |title=Ex-98 Degrees singer Drew Lachey set to host HGTV ''$250,000 Challenge'' |last=Huff|first=Richard |date=May 28, 2009 |work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]] |access-date=January 21, 2011 }}</ref>

After rejecting a series of names (including Just Us and Next Issue), upon the suggestion by their manager Paris D'Jon, they decided on "98 Degrees" describing body temperature and their music.

===Signing to Motown records===
Taking a series of jobs including landscaping, working as club security officers and delivering take-out food, the band refined its harmonies and presentation, looking to groups such as [[Boyz II Men]], [[Take 6]], and [[Jodeci]] for inspiration. The new group also made the rounds of auditions in [[Los Angeles]] and gradually built up its contacts in the music industry. The group's wait for a manager and a recording contract did not take long, as they seized an opportunity to perform during a radio broadcast of a Boyz II Men concert, which they attended in the hope of passing a demo tape to the band. They were discovered by music manager Paris D'Jon, who was co-managing [[Montell Jordan]] at the time.

Just before the group signed their deal, founding member Jonathan Lippman departed the group due to his religious beliefs; he later went on to form [[Contemporary Christian music|CCM]] group [[True Vibe]].

The group's emergence at a time when teen-oriented acts like the [[Spice Girls]], the [[Backstreet Boys]] and [[NSYNC]] were just hitting the top of the charts around the world compelled them to differentiate themselves from the mere "boy band" status that they derided. From the start, they emphasized that they wrote much of their own material, which reflected R&B influences rather than mainstream pop roots. Drew Lachey commented in an interview with the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' in April 1999, "Anybody who has listened to Backstreet [Boys]'s album, our album and *NSYNC's album will definitely see that there are major differences musically between groups, not to mention the fact that we were signed to [[Motown]], which gives us a little more credibility as far as [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] and [[soul music]] goes. Not to mention that we’ve been influenced by more of those type of artists." Directly referring to NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys, he added, "We are singers, songwriters, and producers all in one, not just one of those manufactured pop groups that is put together as a marketing scheme. We are actually in this for the music, which is our first love. That is the major difference."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1999/04/13/is-it-hot-in-here-or-is-it-them/|title=IS IT HOT IN HERE OR IS IT THEM?|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|first=Monica|last=Eng|date=April 13, 1999|access-date=November 5, 2024}}</ref>

===1997: First album===
With their debut single "Invisible Man", which peaked at No. 12 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], achieving gold-record status after its June 1997 release, 98 Degrees was off to a promising start. Although critical response to the group's [[98 Degrees (album)|self-titled debut album]] was mixed, a Billboard review of their first single noted their vocal abilities, and the addition of a new track helped to keep the band in the public eye. The group also toured extensively, including concert dates in [[Asia]]. They also opened for several dates of [[Janet Jackson]]'s [[Velvet Rope Tour]], exposing them to a wider audience.<ref name="Nancy E. Krulik 1999 31">{{citation|first=Nancy E.|last=Krulik|title=98 Degrees and Rising to the Top!|publisher=Pocket Books|year=1999|page=31}}</ref>

===1998-1999: Breakthrough===
After building popularity with their appearance in the animated [[Disney]] movie ''[[Mulan (1998 film)|Mulan]]'', and singing "[[True to Your Heart]]", a duet with labelmate [[Stevie Wonder]], their album ''[[98 Degrees and Rising]]'' was released in October 1998 and became the group's breakthrough album, eventually going 4× [[RIAA certification|platinum]]. Production credits included Atlanta-based producer and [[Babyface (musician)|Babyface]] co-writing partner [[Daryl Simmons]], while musician credits featured Atlanta-based session musician and former [[Earth, Wind & Fire]] guitarist [[Dick Smith (musician)|Dick Smith]]. After the album's release, 98 Degrees left Motown for its parent company, [[Universal Records (defunct record label)|Universal Records]].

The band's first major hit "[[Because of You (98 Degrees song)|Because of You]]" reached number three on the U.S. [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]] and number five on the [[Canadian Singles Chart]], and also went platinum. "The Hardest Thing" followed the success by reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold.

In 1999, 98 Degrees released their Christmas album ''[[This Christmas (98 Degrees album)|This Christmas]]'', which spawned the Canadian top 40 single "[[This Gift (song)|This Gift]]". Within a month after its release the album was certified platinum. The group appeared as featured guests on [[Amy Grant]]'s 1999 CBS Christmas special, ''[[A Christmas to Remember (album)|A Christmas to Remember]]''. Nick Lachey was featured on singer [[Jessica Simpson]]'s debut album ''[[Sweet Kisses]]'' on the track "[[Where You Are (Jessica Simpson song)|Where You Are]]", which was released as a single and reached the top 40 in Canada but missed the top 40 in the US. The group appeared in the album called ''[[Jesus: Music From and Inspired by the Epic Mini Series|Jesus: The Epic Mini Series]]'' with their song "The Love That You've Been Looking For".

===2000–2002: ''Revelation''===
The group scored a ''Billboard'' Hot 100 No. 1 hit in the U.S. with the single "[[Thank God I Found You]]", a collaboration with [[Mariah Carey]] and [[Joe (singer)|Joe]]. The single went gold, selling 700,000 copies. It stayed at No. 1 on the Hot 100 for one week and the top 200 singles sales chart for 51 weeks. The single went to the top 10 in the UK charts and the group also received a [[Grammy Award]] nomination for [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals|Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals]] for the same song.

In the summer of 2000, 98 Degrees released "[[Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)]]", the first single off their upcoming album ''[[Revelation (98 Degrees album)|Revelation]]''; the single went to No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was certified [[music recording sales certification|gold]]. In September 2000, ''Revelation'' was released, peaking at No. 2 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] and being certified 2× Platinum. The band's next singles from that album were "[[My Everything (98 Degrees song)|My Everything]]" and "The Way You Want Me To", the former reaching the Top 40.

In September 2001, the band appeared at [[Madison Square Garden]] alongside [[Luther Vandross]] and [[Usher (entertainer)|Usher]] singing [[Michael Jackson]]'s hit song "[[Man in the Mirror]]". The performance was part of a show to celebrate [[Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration|Michael Jackson's 30 years as a solo artist]].

In 2002, 98 Degrees released a compilation album called ''[[The Collection (98 Degrees album)|The Collection]]'', with the new single "Why (Are We Still Friends)". At that point the group had sold over 10 million records and released 12 singles.

===2003–2012: Hiatus===
In 2003, the group went on hiatus. At the time, Drew Lachey stated that 98 Degrees had not broken up.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Billboard Staff |date=2002-04-08 |title=Billboard Bits: 98 Degrees, Kevin Hearn, Napster |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/billboard-bits-98-degrees-kevin-hearn-napster-76186/ |access-date=2025-04-07 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> During the hiatus, Drew and his wife had their first daughter shortly after he won the second season of ''[[Dancing with the Stars (US TV series)|Dancing with the Stars]]''. Nick Lachey married Jessica Simpson in October 2002 and released two solo albums, ''[[SoulO]]'' and ''[[What's Left of Me (album)|What's Left of Me]]'', with the latter being released around the time of his divorce from Simpson in 2006. Timmons released the solo album ''[[Whisper That Way]]'' and participated in the [[VH1]] reality TV series, ''[[Mission Man Band]]''. Jeffre ran for mayor of [[Cincinnati]], [[Ohio]], and worked on independent media projects.

The band reunited in 2004 to perform on ''Nick & Jessica's Family Christmas'' TV special. In September 2005, 98 Degrees performed at Club Purgatory in [[Over-the-Rhine]] to support Jeffre in his candidacy for mayor of Cincinnati.

===2012–present: Reunion, ''2.0'' and ''Let It Snow''===
On June 20, 2012, Nick and Drew Lachey announced on [[On Air with Ryan Seacrest (radio)|Ryan Seacrest]] that the group would reunite for a one-time performance at [[Mixtape Festival]] in Hershey, PA in August.<ref name=mixtape>{{cite web|title=EXCLUSIVE: Nick & Drew Lachey Announce 98 Degrees Will Reunite For One Performance! [AUDIO]|url=http://ryanseacrest.com/2012/06/20/exclusive-nick-drew-lachey-announce-98-degrees-will-reunite-for-one-performance-audio/|publisher=Ryan Seacrest|access-date=June 20, 2012}}</ref> The group also performed at ''[[Today (U.S. TV program)|The Today Show]]'' on August 17.<ref>{{cite web|title=98 Degrees Reunion: Nick Lachey and Bandmates to Perform on 'Today' After 10-Year TV Hiatus|date=24 July 2012|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/98-degrees-reunion-nick-lachey-353536|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=July 25, 2012}}</ref>

In an interview with ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' on July 26, 2012, Drew Lachey revealed that a week before, the group had their first rehearsal in over a decade. He also explained the group decided to come back together because they were all at that place in their lives where they felt comfortable committing to being in a group again, and they also felt the timing was right because the pop music genre has come back around. "Music is very cyclical. You go through rock stages, R&B stages, rap stages... It's an uphill battle if you try and do pop during a rap stage," says Lachey. Regarding the group's future, he said at this time, they currently have no plan beyond their performances at ''The Today Show'' and the Mixtape Festival.<ref>{{cite web|last=Greene|first=Andy|title=Exclusive: Drew Lachey on the Return of 98 Degrees|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-drew-lachey-on-the-return-of-98-degrees-20120726|publisher=Rollingstone|access-date=July 29, 2012|date=July 26, 2012}}</ref> However, in September 2012, he revealed the group was going to go back into the studio to record a new album in October.<ref>{{cite web|title=98 Degrees to record again in October|url=http://cincinnati.com/blogs/tv/2012/09/11/98-degrees-to-record-again-in-october/|publisher=Cincinnati.com|access-date=2 October 2012|date=September 11, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120914034057/http://cincinnati.com/blogs/tv/2012/09/11/98-degrees-to-record-again-in-october/|archive-date=September 14, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

On January 22, 2013, the group appeared on ''[[The View (U.S. TV series)|The View]]'' along with [[New Kids on the Block]] and [[Boyz II Men]] to announce their joint tour would take place in summer 2013.<ref>{{cite web|last=Vena|first=Jocelyn|title=NKOTB Recruit Boyz II Men, 98 Degrees For 'Package' Summer Tour|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1700587/nkotb-boyz-2-men-98-degrees-summer-tour.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124085234/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1700587/nkotb-boyz-2-men-98-degrees-summer-tour.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 24, 2013|publisher=MTV|access-date=23 January 2013|date=22 January 2013}}</ref> This tour is named "[[The Package Tour|The Package]]" and the 12 members on tour (Boyz II Men with 3 members, NKOTB with 5 members and 98 Degrees with 4 members) jokingly refer to themselves as "The Dirty Dozen". The North American tour began on May 28, 2013. The band also performed a song during the season finale of [[NBC]]'s ''[[The Sing-Off]]'', which Nick Lachey hosts, on December 23, 2013.

The band released their new album, ''[[2.0 (98 Degrees album)|2.0]]'', their first studio album in 13 years, on May 7, 2013.

In summer 2016, they regrouped again to headline the [[My2K Tour]], their first headlining tour in 15 years. They were supported by [[O-Town]], [[Ryan Cabrera]], and [[Dream (American group)|Dream]], putting together a bill of pop acts that were first popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s at larger venues.

In 2017, they returned to Universal Music and put out their second Christmas album, ''Let it Snow'', because of their 20th anniversary.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Taylor|last=Weatherby|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7898095/98-degrees-christmas-album-holiday-tour-let-it-snow|title=98 Degrees Announce New Christmas Album & Holiday Tour|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=August 11, 2017|access-date=August 14, 2017}}</ref> They promoted it with a series of concerts across the United States called the "At Christmas Tour".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/2018/nov/14/98-degrees-christmas-tour-green-valley-ranch/|title=98 Degrees brings the holiday spirit to Green Valley Ranch|first=Brock|last=Radke|publisher=Las Vegas Sun|date=2018-11-14|accessdate=2023-08-29}}</ref>

On November 23, 2017, the band made a 90-second musical appearance in [[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade]], performed in New York City.

On May 21, 2018, the band made a musical appearance at Miss USA, singing "The Hardest Thing" and "I Do", as the three final girls did their last walk on the stage.

From October 15 to October 16, 2018, 98 Degrees appeared at Epcot at Walt Disney World as part of the Eat To The Beat concert series during the annual Food and Wine Festival.

On July 9, 2021, the band released a new single titled "Where Do You Want To Go". They joined Canadian [[country music|country]] singer [[Brett Kissel]] on the single "[[Ain't the Same]]" in April 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://entertainment-focus.com/2022/04/23/brett-kissel-and-98-degrees-team-up-for-aint-the-same/|title=Brett Kissel And 98 Degrees Team Up For "Ain't The Same"|first=Pip|last=Ellwood-Hughes|date=April 23, 2022|work=Entertainment Focus|access-date=June 11, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://tennesseestar.com/2022/05/07/brett-kissel-and-98-team-up-for-new-single-aint-the-same/|title=Brett Kissel and 98° Team Up for New Single, 'Ain't the Same'|work=[[Tennessee Star]]|first=Bethany|last=Bowman|date=May 7, 2022|access-date=June 11, 2022}}</ref>