From boys to muscle men: 98 Degrees defines itself
 |
|
||||||||||
Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees doesn't like his singing group lumped in with boy bands like 'N Sync, the Backstreet Boys and O-Town.
"Sometimes we get a little shortchanged," he complained from a tour stop in San Jose. "People don't want to look any deeper than 'Oh, just another boy band.' But every one of the guys in this group is really, truly talented and have brought a lot to this group."
One thing that sets 98 Degrees apart is muscles. Lachey, his younger brother Drew and Jeff Timmons are all seriously into bodybuilding (the only holdout is Justin Jeffre). That makes for a lot of shirtless photos in fan magazines, as well as in the group's videos, album covers and publicity shots.
|
What really distinguishes 98 Degrees from other groups, Lachey insisted, is that all its members are songwriters, all can sing lead as well as harmonize, and they don't do a lot of fancy footwork.
"That's both by choice and by necessity," he said with a laugh. "We're just not as good dancers as some of our other competitors. But, you know what, you play to your strengths. And we've never been really into the dancing thing. It's kind of a necessary part of the live show, and there is some of that in it, but we actually have some dancers that tour with us now and kinda fill that niche.
"The main thing for us is that we want to be a vocal group. We love to sing, and we want that to be the emphasis, no matter what."
In its four-year career, the group has had a string of hits, all of them silky love songs, including "Because of You," "The Hardest Thing," "I Do (Cherish You)" and "Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)." Lachey also had a hit duet with his girlfriend, Jessica Simpson, called "Where Are You."
Their famously sexless relationship - Simpson is the poster girl for celibacy before marriage - is still going strong.
But the highlight of the group's career so far, Lachey said, was working with Stevie Wonder on the song "True To Your Heart."
"I don't think anything could ever top that," Lachey said. "Just to learn so much from that guy, just to watch him ... that was really an important part of our growth. No matter what happens, no matter what's written about you or said about you, no one can ever take an experience like that away from you.
"Our first appearance on `The Tonight Show' was with Stevie Wonder and his band, and it doesn't get much better than that. I think that kind of set us apart, which is what we've always wanted - to be regarded as a serious vocal group. I think he definitely helped us do that."
The group has just finished filming a video for its latest single, "The Way You Want Me To." It debuts Tuesday on MTV.
"It's our favorite video so far," Lachey said. "It's based on video games. It's really different from what we've done in the past - lots of action. We really feel great about it, really excited."
Lachey is also excited about the Seattle Mariners' impressive record so far this baseball season.
"I'm a huge fan of the Mariners," he said. "I think it's great testimony that you don't have to pay these ... superstars all this huge money to be winners."
Although he lives in Nashville, because it's such a strong songwriting and musical community, he's a native of Cincinnati and a Reds fan.
"We're still hoping Griffey will come around for us," he said, "but you guys are definitely winning out on the deal so far."
Lachey, 27, is concerned about the recent racial unrest in Cincinnati. Rioting broke out in the downtown area, where he used to live, after the shooting of an unarmed 19-year-old black man by police.
"There's some problems that need to be addressed," Lachey said. "It got to a point where they just kind of boiled over, and from that some changes will be made. A young man died unjustly, but something good must come from it. I think the whole country should take a lesson from that. If society and people gain something from an incident as unfortunate as that, then we're learning, at least."
Patrick MacDonald can be reached at pmacdonald@seattletimes.com.