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On the Record with Jeff Timmons from 98 Degrees

Dec 23, 2010 Markos Papadatos

Pop Vocalist Jeff Timmons from 98 Degrees - courtesy of Jenn Hoffman

On December 22, 2010, Suite101 was afforded the privilege to speak with pop vocalist Jeff Timmons, the founding member of the acclaimed boy band, 98 Degrees.

This band consists of four singers: Nick Lachey, Drew Lachey, Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre. Jeff Timmons discusses his biggest musical influences, the rewards, as well as the hardest aspects of his profession; moreover, he offers advice for hopefuls who wish to pursue careers in the music industry.

Jeff Timmons Talks About 98 Degrees and his Musical Influences

According to Jeff Timmons, "I actually started 98 Degrees with some friends of mine in Ohio. We went out to Los Angeles and we were called Just Us. We were just about to get signed, and three out of four members--everybody but myself, quit the group and went back to Ohio. They got scared and got cold feet, so I started a new group. We were still called Just Us and were trying to figure out a cool name."

Timmons continues, "our manager, who eventually helped us get signed to Motown Records, had a really good-looking girlfriend. She was sweet and super-cool and said to us: 'You guys are hot like 98 Degrees.' We thought the name was cool, and it stuck with us, and it became our brand for a long, long time."

The hardest aspect of Timmons’ job was overcoming such obstacles as "staying current with your music. Making sure that your music is current and that you stay true to yourself. It’s such a saturated market. Everybody wants to be a musician or an actor and to be famous. It’s a 'dog-eat-dog' industry. If you really stick with it and try your best, especially with the way you market yourself and promote yourself, you stay on top!"

Timmons’ musical influences include “classic rock bands such as The Eagles, Boston and Journey. Vocally, Boys II Men were a huge influence on me, as well as Brian McKnight, Stevie Wonder, Prince and most of all, Michael Jackson.”

On recording as a solo performer, Timmons notes "all eyes are on you at all times. You get to control the material yourself. I like it a little bit better than being in a group, although I haven’t had nearly the success I had when I was in 98 Degrees. I am really figuring out myself as an artist, and how I want to present myself and my music."

From all the songs Timmons has recorded, as a band member and as a solo artist, he remarks "I have personal favorites in both areas. As a group member, my favorite song was 'Invisible Man' which was a big hit for us, and it actually was our first hit. As a solo artist, probably my favorite song is 'Perfectly and Perfect,' a ballad, which hasn’t come out yet."

Jeff Timmons Shares his Proudest Professional Moments

Timmons’ proudest professional accomplishments include "doing the Tonight Show for the first time. We performed on a legendary show with a legend, Stevie Wonder, singing a song for a legendary franchise, Disney. We performed a song for a Disney film. I was pretty proud of myself at that moment."

He further adds, "The Grammy nomination we received was great! Hearing your song on the radio for the very first time is an amazing moment. Singing a song with Mariah Carey is an amazing moment. I really feel very blessed and fortunate to have had all the experiences that I’ve had."

"Whisper That Way," the title track of his debut record went on to peak at #23 on the Adult Contemporary Charts. Timmons states, "this felt great. I was on my own for the first time and I wanted to do the business side of things. I was happy that it reached the Top 20. It actually reached Top 20 on the R & R Charts. It was tough since I had to do everything myself. I was proud of that single achieving that milestone, as some of the songs I did with 98 Degrees."

Jeff Timmons Discusses Balancing Fatherhood and his Music Career

On balancing fatherhood and a music career, Timmons remarks, "You just have to scale it back quite a bit. I would tour for five years straight with the group and never come home. It’s not quite the same anymore. I have responsibilities. I have two wonderful children to raise. Instead of touring, I spend more time in the studio, and instead of promoting my records on the road, I promote my music online. The music business is changing, so it enables me to do some of things that I want to do and be more flexible. It’s more important to me to be a father than a singer."

Jeff Timmons Shares Future Plans and Collaborations

On future collaborations Timmons remarks, “I would love to do something with Brian McKnight and I am a huge fan of Ne-Yo. Christina Aguilera is amazing and I think she is in the top of any artist’s list. It would be fun to do something with Rihanna, or anybody who is current or hot right now. I think Christina is the most talented out of all the artists out there."

Timmons’ plans for the future include "working on a TV show with MTV, as well as doing various things with some different artists production-wise, as well as hosting another TV show and coming out with a new album in February or March."

Timmons states that "this new album is going to be quite different from 'Whisper That Way,' as well as my previous album that was released online. This new album has more tempos to it and it’s a lot more contemporary. I’ve had a lot of fun doing it. It’s something that’s pretty mainstream, and hopefully it’ll do really well and people will accept it."

Timmons notes an "absolute difference" between recording in the studio and singing live. "In the studio you need to be perfect. When you sing live, all of your tiny mistakes may not be obvious to everybody, but they’re there. In the studio, you have time to correct them and make it perfect. In the studio you can perfect your voice and make it sound exactly how you want it to. In person, you don’t have the ability to fix your mistakes like you can in the studio."

In an effort to promote this album, Timmons intends to embark on a fifteen-city tour, one of which is expected to be New York City.

Jeff Timmons Discusses his Charity Work

"Any charity that has to do with kids is pretty dear to my heart. I love St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. It’s one of my favorites. I try to do something every year. I am involved in the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and I do lots of things with multiple sclerosis (MS) as well. I am going to do a charity golf tournament probably in April or May in Ohio. It’s going to be a dual charity. We are probably going to do it for St. Jude’s, as well as for my friend who passed away some years back; he’s got a scholarship fund and hopefully, we could raise some money there."

Timmons further adds "there’s another charity that I am getting involved in called Camp Kessem. It’s a charity for kids who have parents with cancer. It’s starting to grow, and I just want people to become more aware of them, and all of the wonderful things that they do."

Jeff Timmons Offers Advice for Hopefuls and Defines the Word Success

For hopefuls who wish to pursue careers in the music industry, Timmons recommends they "believe in themselves. It’s such a hard business. Do not let anybody tell you that you cannot do it. Stay humble and have a good work ethic! Be persistent and it’ll definitely happen for you no matter what."

For Jeff Timmons, success is "always achieving something better than your last plateau. Success is to continue to get better at what I am doing. Right now, musically, I am a better than I was in 98 Degrees. I am a better singer, I produce all my music and I write all the lyrics. Now I have to do something with that to top that, such as to create a great charity to raise lots of money for kids. That would be a new success for me. As long as I am evolving and getting better, I think I will l be a success."

For his fans, Jeff Timmons concludes "I would like to thank all my fans that have stuck with me for so long, and believe in the music that I am doing now, and have been loyal to me. I totally appreciate them. I never take them for granted. I look forward to seeing them in the next coming year!"

Many thanks to Jeff Timmons for granting this interview with Suite101.