98 Degrees credits Taylor Swift for inspiring them to re-record their classic hits

The pop trio 98 Degrees attributes their decision to redo their masters to Taylor Swift.

The boy band, which consists of Justin Jeffre, Nick Lachey, Drew Lachey, and Jeff Timmons, recently revealed to E! News that they have been working on a new album in the studio since their tour ended.

“We’re gonna rerecord five of our classic hits in kind of the rerecord/get-your-masters-back move,” Nick said. “And then we’re also gonna have five new songs as well, and a new single coming out at the top of the year.”

According to Jeff, the band has been debating doing it for some time since “there have been opportunities for our songs. And you know, you have these battles with the label.” However, it was the well-known pop icon who actually persuaded them to take the risk.

“We thought it’d be natural for us to do this, you know, sort of rerecording of our masters,” Jeff added. “Taylor Swift sort of brought it to the forefront. The fans have embraced that. And so we’re like, ‘OK, now’s the time to do it.'”

In the late '90s and early '00s, 98 Degrees, who issued their debut album, 98 Degrees, in 1997, enjoyed tremendous success in the music business. However, they ultimately decided to take a break in 2003 until coming back together in 2012.