Drew Lachey Confirms 98 Degrees Reunion Is Going Forward with New Album, Tour

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Drew Lachey of 98 Degrees, who won season two of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” returned to the show this season for its All-Stars edition, but was voted out this past Tuesday night. But that’s OK — it means he can now turn his attention to the 98 Degrees reunion.

Over the summer, 98 Degrees, including Drew, brother Nick Lachey, Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre, got together for the first time in years for two performances: one on NBC’s “Today” show, and one at the Mixtape Festival in Hershey, Pa. They stopped short of announcing any additional plans, but now Drew confirms to ABC News Radio that a full-fledged reunion is on tap.

“We’re gonna start heading back into the studio here in the next month or so making new music,” Drew tells ABC News Radio. “And then, hopefully, in 2013, we are gonna be back out on tour. So…we got some great stuff coming up and I’m looking forward to getting back with those guys and making some new music.”

98 Degrees never actually broke up; they just went on hiatus. Their last album, Revelation, came out in 2000, so fans were psyched to see the foursome at those shows this past August.

“That was fantastic,” says Drew. “It was 11 years since we had performed together last, and to get back together and take that step out there, to say, ‘Alright, we’re doing this. Let’s go for it,’ and to have the fans embrace us like that, was magical.” In fact, the response encouraged them to continue with the reunion plans, as Drew explains.

“When we did that, that was like, ‘Alright, we gotta keep doing this. We can’t let it be another 10 years before we do this again,’” he says.

Now that boy bands are back in fashion thanks to One Direction, it seems like a good time for 98 Degrees to return, but what will the 2013 version of the group sound like? “Well, it’s still gonna be based on the harmony and vocals. I mean, that’s our signature sound. That’s not gonna change,” explains Drew. “The production, obviously, will. You know, pop music is a lot different now than it was then, different sounds, different kind of musical influences.”

But as Drew points out, “When it all is said and done, a great song is a great song whether it was made in the ’50s or whether it’s made 30 years from now. Music is music and it can transcend time.”