Editing 98 Degrees (section)

===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>