BY LARRY NAGER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
In the early '90s, Nick and Drew Lachey and Justin Jeffre could be found singing and dancing in the rehearsal rooms at Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts.
This week, they were back at SCPA, sweating through some new routines. But now, instead of dreaming of the big time, they're part of it.
Along with Jeff Timmons, 25, of Massillon, Ohio, the Lachey brothers and Mr. Jeffre are 98, a singing group signed to Motown Records with a couple of hit singles and a new album.
Buoyed by its recent hit single with Stevie Wonder, "True to Your Heart," the quartet is gearing up for promotional appearances for a second Motown CD, 98 and Rising, scheduled to be released Oct. 20. The album's first single, "Because of You," is already getting air play and will be released Sept. 15.
"It makes sense to come back, to rehearse the new show, the new album here," says the elder Lachey brother, Nick, 24. "In New York, you pay all kinds of big money for a rehearsal hall. Ohio's where we're from . . . it definitely feels good."
So good that 98 wants to come back to Cincinnati to live when the group's New York apartment leases run out. They won't move back in with their folks, Nick adds hastily. "I'm sleeping on the couch," he says with a laugh.
Life at home hasn't changed, says his younger brother. "You still gotta take out the trash, you still have to mow the lawn," says Drew Lachey, 22. "A lot of our friends at first, at least mine, were expecting me to change . . . But I think they realize I'm the same person."
Temperature's rising
From 1993 to 1995, Nick and Mr. Jeffre performed around Cincinnati in the Avenues. They moved to Los Angeles in 1995, and soon joined JustUs, a quartet co-founded by SCPA grad Jonathan Lippman and Mr. Timmons. Mr. Lippman left to pursue an acting career and Nick's younger brother was added, as the group relocated to New York at Motown's insistence.
Last summer, 98 struck gold with the debut single, "Invisible Man." But there was no follow-up hit. Motown president Andre Harrell, who signed the group, left amid a corporate shake-up, and 98 was lost in the shuffle.
Until Disney's newest heroine rode to the rescue.
The group was picked to sing "True to Your Heart," the featured single from Mulan, this spring's animated Disney hit about a young Chinese woman who impersonates a male warrior and saves her country. The concept was to pair Motown's newest group with a label veteran. "They initially suggested the Temptations," Drew says. "But we're already a four-part group, and we wouldn't be able to have as much harmony among ourselves."
Instead, 98 teamed with Stevie Wonder. The only disappointment was that the Motown great recorded his tracks first. They added their parts later. They finally got to meet Mr. Wonder on the video shoot.
Frying pan to fire
In June, they did The Tonight Show.
"That was the highlight of my performing experience," Drew gushes. "Just to be on The Tonight Show with Stevie Wonder and one of the dopest bands ever."
"True to Your Heart" is part of 98 and Rising, a more varied project than the group's ballad-heavy debut. Motown's current president, George Jackson, has been supportive.
"We got to do a lot more writing and producing, and we definitely had more control over the album as a whole," says Mr. Jeffre, 25. "We have a lot more variety on there, a lot more up-tempos, great dance tunes."
"And there's some a cappella," Drew adds. "That's kind of where we started at. That's the staple to prove to people that you can sing."
Band members' appeal to teen-age girls regularly lands them color spreads in the teen-'zines. But they don't want to just be hunks-of-the-month.
"We're not here to be flashy," Drew says. "The show is very important, but first of all, we're musicians. That's our true passion."
Boiling point
They've stayed close to their roots, even in choreographers. Lea Dellacave, who's putting them through their paces at SCPA, was part of Drew's 1994 graduating class there.
But even as they return home, they're ready to move to the next level. After domestic promotional appearances for the new CD, 98 will head to Europe and Asia for the international release of Mulan.
They need a few more domestic hits before they can make the American concert circuit, but they're looking to launch a tour here in early 1999.
"We've had some adversity over the last two years. We've learned a lot of things, and we're trying to apply them to life," Nick says. "As a song, "Invisible Man' was huge on radio, but there wasn't really a lot of publicity for us as a group. Mulan was also important. It gave us an identity as a group, to perform with Stevie Wonder and to be with a marketing machine like Disney.
"We're really proud of the things we've accomplished," says Nick. "Now, with our second album, we're in a great position to make an impact."
