LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — As the remaining days of 2023 fade away, Nick Lachey, Jeff Timmons, Justin Jeffre, and Drew Lachey, otherwise known as the band 98 Degrees, have much to look forward to in 2024, including the release of a brand new album, the group’s first in years.
“Anytime you debut premiere new music, it’s exciting,” Nick Lachey said.
The song, written by Nick and performed by boy band legends 98 Degrees, will see its first televised live performance on Las Vegas Countdown to 2024 on New Year’s Eve. The band’s newest tune was originally a solo project for Nick. However, as the song developed, the singer realized it was more attuned to the band as a whole.
“I pitched it to [the band] because to me, both thematically and musically, it just felt like a 98 Degrees record,” Lachey said.
And now it is. Got U will be the lead single for the band’s newest effort, Full Circle, which is available for preorder on the group’s website. The song will be 98 Degrees’ first new single in a decade. It’s one of many things the group has to look forward to as the clock ticks away to 2024.
“New Year’s Eve is always an exciting time,” said Justin Jeffre. “You think of a big party and just thinking about the future and sort of wrapping up the past year.”
Band member Jeff Timmons said the group is trying to slow down and enjoy the ride.
“One of the things that we always repeat is how much fun we’re having with all this stuff. I think back in the day, it was a blast. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but it was a business and it was a grind and it was a lot of pressure,” said Timmons. “But now, doing stuff like this — this many years later, we try to have a blast with it.”
Performing in Las Vegas is a thrill for Drew Lachey, who said fans are always dressed up and ready to go in the entertainment capital of the world.
“[Las Vegas] has such a history and legacy of whether it’s the Rat Pack or Elvis and these big New Year’s concerts,” said Drew. “People tend to be drinking, which is also something that we always joke — […] the drunker you are, the better we sound. So, we encourage everyone to party it up.”
When asked which Vegas icon each band member would have loved to perform with, each singer had a favorite. Timmons went with Vegas legend Frank Sinatra, while Nick Lachey named Dean Martin.
“Sammy Davis Jr.,” said Drew. “He was [a] great showman.” Jeffre concurred, citing Mister Show Business‘ musicianship and dancing ability.
The excitement of a New Year’s Eve performance in Vegas will join the band’s cavalcade of other New Year’s Eve memories, including ringing in the millennium at Times Square in New York.
“Y2K, they didn’t know what was going to happen,” Timmons said. “They thought the whole world was going to get shut down. The computers are going to reset, but nothing happened.”
Although nothing as dramatic as the Y2K phenomenon in 2000 is expected for 2024, expect 98 Degrees to heat Vegas for Las Vegas Countdown to 2024, a live New Year’s Eve special on Sunday, December 31, 2023, with coverage from 8:58 p.m. to 12:35 a.m. PT. For more information on how to watch, check out this page.