98°'s combination of laid-on-thick amour ballads like "Invisible Man" (which remained in the top 40 for five months) and "Was It Something I Didn't Say" (written by sap-balladeer extraordinaire Diane Warren, the woman responsible for Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart" and Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me") and boy-next-door good looks has proved to be a foolproof formula for teen-sensation success, but make no mistake--98° are no pre-assembled studio product. They got their start years ago, when Jeff Timmons moved from Cincinnati to Los Angeles to form a singing group and pursue a musical career. Jeff's friend suggested Nick Lachey and Justin Jeffre, two of his former classmates at the Cincinnati School For Creative And Performing Arts, and soon Nick and Justin were packing their bags at relocating to sunny California as well. Nick eventually recruited his brother Drew, who impulsively left his steady job as an emergency medical technician in Brooklyn to move to L.A. and become the fourth and final member of 98°.

The four fledgling future stars got their big break when they attempted to sneak backstage at a Boyz II Men concert. They didn't succeed, but a local radio station covering the concert asked them to sing live on the air. Paris D'Jon, Montell Jordan's manager, was present during the impromptu broadcast and liked what he heard; he took 98° under his mighty wing and gave them the opening-act spot on Montell Jordan's national tour. Several major labels soon came a-courtin', and 98° decided to go with Motown, since Motown's past artists had been such an influence on their smooth R&B sound. Various big-time producers and composers--including LaFace Records' Tricky and Sean, LL Cool J/ Seal producer Rashad Smith, Winans Family member Mario Winans and Montell Jordan--worked on 98°'s self-titled debut, only further ensuring the group's mainstream pop success.