98 Degrees (or 98°) is a Grammy-nominated American adult contemporary boy band consisting of four vocalists: brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Jeff Timmons. The group was formed by Jeff Timmons in Los Angeles.
Unlike most boy bands, they formed independently and were later picked up by a record label, as opposed to being assembled by a label or a producer (e.g. O-Town). They have sold over 10 million records and achieved 8 Top 40 singles.
1997: First album
The four members got their big break when they attempted to sneak backstage at a Boyz II Men concert. They didn't succeed, but a local radio station covering the concert asked them to sing live on the air. Paris DJon, Montell Jordan's manager, was present during the impromtu broadcast and liked what he heard; he took the group under his mighty wing, changed the groups name to 98 Degrees from its original Just Us and gave them the opening act spot on Montell Jordan's National tour. 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 Degrees and their first single "Invisible Man" were both certified Gold. Their second single was "Was It Something I Didn't Say", and their popularity was also growing overseas.
1998: Breakthrough album 98 Degrees and Rising
After building popularity with their appearance in the movie Mulan, and singing "True to Your Heart" (a duet with labelmate Stevie Wonder), their album 98 Degrees and Rising went 4x platinum in 1998. After the first album, 98 Degrees left Motown for its parent company, Universal Records. All three albums after their first went platinum.
The band's first major hit was "Because of You" (number three on the U.S. Hot 100 and number five on the Canadian Singles Chart) and went platinum. Then "The Hardest Thing" followed the success by reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold.
1999: Christmas album and collaboration
In 1999, 98 Degrees released their Christmas album This Christmas, which spawned the top 40 single "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. 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. 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.
2000-2001: Revelation album
In the summer of 2000, 98 Degrees released the first single of their new album Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche), the single went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold. In September 2000, the band's 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.
In September 2001 the band appeared at Madison Square Garden alongside Luther Vandross and Usher singing Michael Jackson's hit song "Man In The Mirror", the performance was part of show to celebrate Michael Jackson's 30 years as a solo artist.
2002: 10 million records sold and a collection
In 2002, 98 Degrees released a compilation album called The Collection, with the new single "Why (Are We Still Friends)". The single reached the top 40, at that point the group had sold over 10 million records and released 12 singles.
2002: Solo careers
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 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, and he currently works with area activists on independent media projects.
2004-2005: Reunions
Club Purgatory - September 2005The 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.
2006: Man Band
In October 2006, it was announced that Jeff Timmons would participate in the new VH1 reality TV series, Man Band. The news casts doubt over previous reports about 98 Degrees adding a new member and would consider recording a new album in the near future, most likely around late 2008.
