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98 Degrees is addressing the boyband hierarchy between other groups of the eras such as Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC
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Nick Lachey, Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre and Jeff Timmons speak exclusively with PEOPLE about their old music, new music, and where they stand with other boybands
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Their new album, Full Circle, is available to stream
98 Degrees is addressing the boyband hierarchy.
Speaking with PEOPLE exclusively for the release of Full Circle — their first album in 12 years — the “Got You” singers reveal how they feel about the competition between different boy bands of the late ’90s and early ’00s, such as Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC.
On a Zoom call (the band called in from four different locations), Drew Lachey, Nick Lachey, Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre comment on the boyband hierarchy and how it affected their work ethic.
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“I think you naturally compare yourself to other people, just based on chart position or sales or things like that,” Drew, 48, says of the associations. “We realize that to be in those conversations is a sign of success, and that there is one person, there’s not a finite amount of room for success.”
“More people can be successful at once. I feel like whether you were No. 1 on TRL or whether you were No. 4 on TRL, you are still on TRL.”
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Jeff Timmons, Drew Lachey, Nick Lachey and Justin Jeffre in December 1998
Drew mentions that when other artists were doing really well with record sales, there would be a moment where the band wondered how they would beat that.
“But for the most part, I think we all understood the grind that every other group is going through the ups and downs of the business,” he continues. “To this day, we’re still friends with those guys.”
Timmons, 52, also said that as a group of four, the band was modeling itself after Boyz II Men. “We were a two-part, four-part harmony group, and we leaned kind of R&B, especially in the beginning. And so, we wanted to be signed to Motown like them, and we did. So we didn’t even know what the Backstreet Boys or *NSYNC or boybands were.”
“We’re happy to be mentioned in the same breath as those guys,” he continues.
“You’re talking about some of the biggest groups of all time, but we didn’t see ourselves kind of in that lane. We thought of ourselves as more of a vocal, sort of R&B-influenced group.”
Nick, 31, agrees. “We never intended to be a boyband when that whole era took off, got swept up in it, and certainly no complaints here. It was a great time to be a part of that, but that was never our intention.”
The Love Is Blind host adds that they were “happy to have been a part of it.” “But in our minds, we were always a different group than those guys.”
If there was any major competition between the boybands, it has since dissipated. “In later years, they’re not as competitive with each other as they once were,” Timmons says. “We all do a bunch of stuff together in different incarnations and they all support each other.”
“It would’ve been great if we had everybody’s fans in a big pool back in the day like it is now. So everybody’s relaxed a lot more in their later years.”
Trevor Paul
Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, Nick Lachey and Jeff Timmons in 2025
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When asked about the difference between the boyband fanbases, 98 Degrees had nothing but love for their devotees.
Drew also reveals that “there was a loyalty among fans” that wouldn’t be exclusive to just one band. “Everybody could be supportive of us, which I think was great. As far as the fans go, boyband fans are the best. I mean, they are loyal, they are supportive, they are diehard, they are passionate, they’re charismatic.”
Though Drew isn’t sure if there was a distinct difference between boyband fans focused on specific groups, there are “definite qualities” that embody them — and “they’re amazing.” “We wouldn’t still be here 30 years later if they weren’t fantastic.”
Tim Roney/Getty
Nick Lachey, Drew Lachey, Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre, circa 1995
As for their new album, which came out on Friday, May 9, Jeffre, 52, hopes fans enjoy revisiting their old songs re-recorded (such as “Invisible Man” and “The Hardest Thing”), while enjoying their new ones (like “Mona Lisa” and “Got U”).
“It really is our journey from the past and where we are musically now,” he says, calling their older songs “part of the soundtrack of our lives.” “Hopefully they received the new songs in the same way that the old songs have.”
Full Circle is available to stream.
Read the original article on People
