THEIR GOAL: `DEGREES' OF SUCCESS ON A LONG-TERM BASIS.

Byline: Alan Sculley Special to the Daily News

The guys in 98 Degrees don't want to be flash-in-the-pan statistics. They realize that so far in their career, they've made a big impact in the teen market. That's great for record sales and concert attendance, but not so good for longevity.

The rock 'n' roll history books are littered with the names of teen artists whose massive popularity was only slightly less startling than how quickly they faded from the scene. A few recent victims would include Tiffany, Debbie Gibson and New Kids on the Block.

``We definitely have a teen crowd, and we're definitely following suit with the other groups, the guy groups, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync,'' said Jeff Timmons, 98 Degrees' founding member. ``And those fans pretty much jump on our bandwagon as well.''

The foursome - which also includes brothers Nick and Drew Lachey and Justin Jeffre - make no bones about the fact that they have consciously accepted projects geared toward a teen audience.

In 1997, the group collaborated with one of their heroes, Stevie Wonder, on ``True to Your Heart,'' a song for the animated Disney film, ``Mulan.'' They also have forged an alliance with the Nickelodeon cable television network that has exposed the group to many teen and preteen fans.

The group has appeared on several shows for the network and is headlining the first Nickelodeon ``All That Music and More'' tour, which stops at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre tonight and Universal Amphitheatre on Monday and Tuesday.

``Nickelodeon's just been great for us,'' Timmons said. ``We definitely wanted to get in touch with that kind of audience. We did some things with Disney. They were great for us. I mean, they're great for marketing.''

Despite this summer's activity on the teen front, 98 Degrees' members haven't lost sight of the bigger picture in building their career.

Even before the release last year of ``98 Degrees and Rising,'' the hit CD that has propelled the group into the limelight, Timmons and his band mates realized the teen market eventually could be a dead end. They looked to ``98 Degrees and Rising,'' which is their second CD, as the key to expanding their fan base and establishing some staying power.

``One thing we didn't want to have was strictly a teen audience,'' Timmons said. ``We wanted to have that more Boyz II Men-ish, adult contemporary type of audience. We figured the only way we could do that was to have a more well-rounded album where we showcased our vocals, where we actually get musically involved and things like that.''

To that end, the four band members took a more active role in the second CD, aiming for a song cycle with more variety, depth and maturity. The four members of 98 Degrees co-wrote five of the 11 songs on the second CD and collaborated with several high-profile producers for the project, including Pras of the Fugees, The Trackmasters (known for their work with Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige and Will Smith) and Keith Thomas (who's worked with Vanessa Williams and Brian McKnight).

The result is a CD that, while hardly innovative, is enjoyable and more substantial than the music of Backstreet Boys or 'N Sync. ``98 Degrees and Rising'' has a youthful spirit in up-tempo tunes like ``Heat It Up,'' ``Do You Wanna Dance'' and ``True to Your Heart,'' but also displays the group's talent for heartfelt balladry on ``If She Only Knew,'' ``Because of You'' and ``I Do,'' three tracks that follow the musical blueprint of Boyz II Men and other soulful vocal groups.

Demographically, ``98 Degrees and Rising'' has succeeded on two fronts. First, it has broadened the quartet's fan base.

``Definitely the teen audience is a great audience for us. They buy a lot of records,'' Timmons said. ``But the majority of our fan club members, 50 percent are over the age of 25, and 50 percent are under 25. I usually throw that stat out there, and people are really amazed by that.''

Secondly, the success of ``98 Degrees and Rising'' has helped reinvigorate a career that hit a sudden roadblock with the group's self-titled debut CD. Soon after the release in July 1997 of the ``98 Degrees'' CD, the foursome scored a significant hit with the song ``Invisible Man.'' But the group didn't even get a chance to release a follow-up single.

``The record company went through a big transition,'' Timmons said. ``One record company president got fired and another one was brought in and the whole staff was left in limbo, and so was our career at that point. We had nobody to work the rest of our first album.''

But, Disney had taken note of 98 Degrees and invited the group to do ``True to Your Heart,'' for the ``Mulan'' soundtrack. The success of that lively song, a collaboration with Motown legend Stevie Wonder, served as a perfect setup for ``Because of You,'' the silky ballad that became the lead single from the ``98 Degrees and Rising'' CD.

For Timmons and his band mates, the chance to work with Wonder was a thrill.

``We didn't get to record with Stevie, because we recorded our part, and when he had the chance to go to the studio we were in Asia,'' Timmons said.

``So, we did actually get to meet him on the video shoot, on the set of the video shoot for it. And he had us come in his trailer, and we had a jam session with him. He had his musical equipment set up there. We sang with him for a good half hour, and he gave us advice on how to stay grounded, humble and be creative. He was just a great guy.''

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Despite this summer's activity on the teen front, 98 Degrees' members - Nick Lachey, left, Justin Jeffre, Jeff Timmons and Drew Lachey - haven't lost sight of the bigger picture in building their career.