Taylor Swift's Unprecedented Influence Motivates 98 Degrees to Revamp Their Iconic Music: A Game-Changing Move!

98 Degrees seems to be following Taylor Swift's lead. The band, consisting of Jeff Timmons, Nick Lachey, Drew Lachey, and Justin Jeffre, recently disclosed to E! News on October 9th that they are re-recording five of their "classic hits." They mentioned that their inspiration for this move came from Swift, who also decided to re-record her own music catalog. (We previously reported in September that 98 Degrees had plans to re-record their masters.)

"We've been discussing this for some time," Jeff, who is 50, conveyed to the outlet. "It's clear that there have been chances for our songs. And, as you know, we've encountered difficulties with the record label."

He went on to say, "So, we believed it would be appropriate for us to undertake this endeavor of rerecording our original recordings. Taylor Swift's actions have really highlighted this approach, and the fans have greatly supported it. Therefore, we have decided that now is the ideal moment to proceed with this."

Drew, who is 47 years old, credits Swift for pioneering the concept of musicians rerecording their albums. Swift has already rerecorded three of her albums and is scheduled to release her fourth, 1989 (Taylor's Version), later this month. Swift began the process of rerecording her first six records in 2019 in order to regain ownership of her master recordings after a highly publicized conflict with Scooter Braun.

Drew acknowledges that before Swift embarked on this endeavor, it was not a common practice for artists to rerecord their masters. People tended to prefer the original versions. However, when Swift asserted her desire to reclaim ownership of her music, it created a shift in perspective. Fans and fellow artists alike rallied behind her, resulting in a newfound acceptance and unity in support of rerecorded masters. This has inspired many artists to follow suit and pursue the re-recording of their own albums.

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Aside from their five previously recorded tracks, Nick, who is 49 years old, revealed that 98 Degrees has plans to unveil five fresh songs along with a single set to be released "at the beginning of the year."

The band, currently managed by Johnny Wright of Wright Entertainment Group, signed with a record label in 1995. Two years later, they achieved their first hit with the song "Invisible Man". In 2000, the band took a break to focus on their individual lives outside of the group, as shared by Justin, 50, in an interview with Us in September. However, the band reunited in 2012 and released their album 2.0.

Currently, the band's record company, EX1, is collaborating with them, allowing them to own a portion of their masters. Jeff further mentioned that the band, which recently embarked on a tour to commemorate their 25th anniversary, feels more relaxed. According to him, everything is now more enjoyable.

In this article

Drew Lachey

Jeff Timmons

Justin Jeffre

Nick Lachey

Taylor Swift