98 Degrees Dodges Comparisons, Mothers
March 21 -- If there were such a thing as boy-band rankings, 98 Degrees would hold a solid third behind the two behemoths who dominate the scene. From their slow-roasting beginning with 1997's self-titled debut to their five-times platinum 1998 follow-up, 98 Degrees and Rising, and their recently released double-platinum disc, Revelation, the boys in 98 Degrees (brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Jeff Timmons, and Justin Jeffre) have sought to avoid the inevitable comparisons, claiming their style is more Boyz II Men than Mickey Mouse Club.
However, avoiding similarities is easier said than done. Despite a promising headlining tour (with the Baha Men, Debelah Morgan, and Dream) playing smaller arenas in smaller markets, 98 Degrees has once again been overshadowed by news of 'N Sync's massive stadium undertaking, as well as the Backstreet Boys, who last week announced an intimate arena tour of their own. The ante has definitely been upped, but according to Drew, 98 Degrees refuses to follow in any footsteps.
"No, we're not a stadium group," he says. "I think music fans have unreal expectations of the music business now. Right now, we have basically three phenomena going on: Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync, and Britney Spears.
"It's very rare you see this in your lifetime, let alone see three of them at the same time that can go out and sell the type of records that they do, and the type of tours that they can put together, and sell consistently back to back to back. A group that goes out and sells small arenas of 7,000 people a night is doing great business. So I think for us, we just want to continue to do good business and not try and live up to unreal expectations."
Drew's modest approach regarding 98 Degrees' place in the pop world is somewhat misleading considering the group has sold nearly 10 million albums to date. They appear to be more concerned with surviving the eventual pop bear market than exploiting it for all its current worth.
So far, 98 Degrees has successfully carved out their own niche of mature romance, which just so happens to be marketed to the teenage girl demographic. Despite the publicity associated with Nick's high-profile relationship with pop princess and proud virgin Jessica Simpson (this fact often leads fans to link 98 Degrees with virginity — "I think they know better than that," quips Drew), the 20-something guys in the band find the fan adulation often crosses a line, which could provide unique opportunities from, so to say, forbidden fruit.
