American boy group 98 Degrees shares fondest memories of past shows in Manila

It will be a walk down memory lane when Nick Lachey, Justin Jeffre, Jeff Timmons and Drew Lachey again meet their fans from this side of Southeast Asia and perform signature, well-loved hits before them.

With the new album Full Circle, Filipino music enthusiasts would also love to hear tunes from it and the musical combination and complementation they create with the familiar songs.

Known as 98 Degrees, the boy group members are expected to perform ditties I Do (Cherish You), Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche), Thank God I Found You, a collaboration with singer Mariah Carey and Joe, The Hardest Thing, Because of You, Invisible Man (its debut single), My Everything and the Christmas tune This Gift. Local fans love the season of giving and sharing and will enjoy it even this early in the year.

Recently, Nick, Jeff, Justin and Drew had a virtual interview with the Manila press, including this paper. It was made possible by VAA Live for the group’s May 30 and 31 concert at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

“How enthusiastic the fans are for us there,” answered Jeff when asked by The STAR about the group’s fondest memories the last time they were here for a show. “You know we’ve been talking about this a lot lately in some interviews with the upcoming release of the new album Full Circle here in the States about our affinity for the Philippines and Southeast Asia in general.”

“What a lot of people don’t know is we didn’t necessarily have a ton of success in the United States first. We ended up going up to Canada and having some success there,” added he. “But really the first time we really got a resounding, you know, excitement from a fanbase was when we stepped foot in Manila for the first time. So we absolutely love the fan base, we feel like we owe it to our fans.”

That’s why the Philippines has a special place in their hearts and the vocal group members were supposed to hold a 2020 tour in the country, but COVID happened and public gatherings were prohibited.

“There are so many fond memories, it’s really just how the culture embraced us,” said Jeff.

For Nick, part of his fondest memories with the fans was when they were “leaving the concert venue in a van and the fans like literally rocking the van back and forth,” recalled he. “I mean the passion of the Filipino people for music in general but and for our group is just overwhelming, it’s been overwhelming and so we’ve been excited to have a return to the Philippines for a long time now.”

“You just get such a sense when you’re in the Philippines of the love of music, the love of artistry and the love and passion that everyone has there for singing,” added Nick. “It’s contagious to us. As a performer, it makes you wanna perform that much better because you know your fans there, the audience, the crowd there, you’re singing for, truly appreciate what you’re doing.”

Justin, on the other hand, said that the Philippines has just been a special place for them, like early on in the American group’s career. The reaction (and support) from the fans is part of his fondest and happy memories. “We’ve been so excited to come back,” added he.

Aside from the popularity and awards, artists find delight when their songs form the playlist or have become the soundtracks of a listener’s life.

“It’s like the biggest honor any musician can have, you know, to have your music be a part of someone’s life and to carry on,” said Drew, adding what Justin shared that “their music has been the soundtrack to other people’s lives and that’s really kinda the best thing we can hope for.”
“You know we’ve been fortunate that some of our songs have been you know parts of films or things like that,” added Drew. “But even more important than that is our songs are parts of people’s weddings and their first dances, their dates, their breakups and you know hoping people get through situations.”

It’s a feat that artists hope to achieve in their careers and music should touch people’s heart and inspire them.

Asked what to expect come showtime, a piece of information from the local publicity team says, “Get ready for over-the-top swooning, lots of reminiscing and a grand sing-along time.”

So a one-of-a-kind, throwback, romantic R&B, pop evening awaits everyone.

(Tickets for the 98 Degrees shows are now available at SM Tickets or call VAA Live at 0930-0921948 or at (02)8687-5853 loc. 841.)