Were you a fan of the boy bands back in the 90s? If you were, you probably know the name of Drew Lachey from 98 Degrees. Even if you don’t, you may have watched him win the mirror ball trophy on Season 2 of “Dancing With the Stars” and compete again in the all-star season. Drew is gearing up for a new album and new tour. He recently took time out of his busy schedule to speak with Examiner.com while hosting a party at The Pool After Dark, located in Harrah’s Resort, Atlantic City, N.J.
I have to say that Drew Lachey was very personable; in fact, he couldn't have been nicer. He was like immediate family. And speaking of family, I asked him how Isabella was doing. Isabella is Drew’s 6-year-old daughter who appeared with dad on the finale of last season’s “Dancing With the Stars,” and no less talented than her old man, I might add.
I asked Drew which was his favorite 98 Degrees song from the “old” days. He said it was a hard choice and that he liked a lot of them, but he really liked some of the work the band did on their Christmas album. You could see the wheels turning as he thought hard. He said that “Heaven’s Missing an Angel” and “She’s Out of my Life” are favorites.
We talked about what he’d been doing since 98 Degreesdropped off the public’s radar some years ago. Drew has been busy! He's performed on Broadway, worked in some indie productions and tripped the light fantastic on two seasons of “Dancing With the Stars,” to name a few. But his first response was the best: “Raising kids.” Drew is a hands-on dad to his two little ones.
If you saw Drew Lachey on “Dancing With the Stars,” you saw a lot of wild jumping and hot hip-hop moves. I asked him where he learned to do that. He said he doesn’t really know, although he did say that “it looks more impressive than it is.” Drew said he took a ballet class when he was in fifth grade, but other than that. . . he just does it.
Then I asked him about the Package Tour, where 98 Degrees is getting back together to go out on the road with New Kids on the Block and Boyz II Men, two of the other famous boy bands of that era. The tour kicks off on May 30. You could really see his face brighten. Drew is excited to get back to the music and looking very much forward to this tour.
There is also a new album coming out. Drew, Nick, Justin and Jeff are in the studio working on newmusic, which has the band fired up and fans of 98 Degrees eagerly awaiting the release of "2.0" on May 7.
My time with Drew Lachey was quickly coming to a close. His fans were clamoring for him to get into the hottest night club in Atlantic City, The Pool After Dark at Harrah’s. Drew was the host for the Saturday night party and he was definitely ready to rock.
