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Former 98 Degrees singer still
warming up
Courtesy of Rising Phoenix Media
Jeff Timmons wrote and produced his solo
album, "Whisper That Way."
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By Sarah Mauet
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
For all the emphasis put on planning, sometimes
being impulsive just pays off.
It worked for Jeff Timmons, founding member of
the vocal group 98 Degrees, who made his decision to become a pop star,
literally, over night.
At a party, some girls asked Timmons, then a
psychology major at Kent State University, and his friends to sing them a
song. The girls raved about his voice, and the stage was set as far as he was
concerned.
"I quit college the next day and went to
Los Angeles to pursue a singing career," the Ohio native said. "It
was a pretty hasty decision, looking back, but I was young and dumb. Sometimes
ignorance is bliss. You take risks you wouldn't ordinarily take if you know
all the ins and outs of what you're trying to do."
Spontaneity paid off. Timmons brought together
Nick and Drew Lachey and Justin Jeffre in 1995 to form the "boy
band" 98 Degrees, which went on to sell millions of records and win
several awards. When the intensely popular quartet went on hiatus in February
2002, Timmons again leaped without looking.
"I still like to take risks," he said
over the phone while driving from Orange County to L.A. "I think I'm one
for throwing caution to the wind and giving everything a shot. I don't mind
taking risks. I think it makes life more exciting and you get to kind of ride
the waves."
This time the wave involved turning his back on
major- record labels to write, record and produce a solo album, well, solo.
"I wrote one or two songs on the other
records, but this is probably my debut as a writer," he said of the album
he launched on his Web site (www.jefftimmons.com). "I wrote and produced
everything on this record myself with a couple of friends. It's a very
intimate project. It's a very personal project, and I'm very proud of
it."
The album, "Whisper That Way," which
is now in stores, has an R&B feel and includes songs about his two
children. Timmons will be performing some of his new songs when he stops in
Tucson Monday as part of the Jim Brickman and Friends Holiday Concert. This is
the second year the former teen idol has toured with the holiday show.
It's a busy time for Timmons, who will soon
begin filming his first feature film, "Newport Heights," due to hit
theaters next summer. While it's his professional acting debut, the singer
said he started acting at a young age and that it comes more naturally than
singing.
"Sometimes it's a lot easier for me to get
up there and pretend I'm somebody else than to get up there and sing and
perform and all that," he said.
Timmons can be seen today on NBC's broadcast of
the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - he'll be on the Discovery Channel float -
and the entire 98 Degrees team will be on ABC's "Nick and Jessica's
Family Christmas," a TV special to air Wednesday.
"We got back together for Nick and
Jessica's Christmas variety show and did a tune for the first time in three
years together - a cappella 'I'll be Home for Christmas,' " Timmons said.
"We felt good about the whole thing and threw around the idea of doing a
new record in the next year or so. It's exciting."
While he's entertaining the idea of another 98
Degrees album, Timmons is finally getting comfortable with his own solo
career.
"At first I was nervous," he said.
"I was used to the other guys being with me and all that good stuff, but
now it's starting to become a lot more fun and I'm starting to enjoy it a lot
more. I feel very comfortable on stage now."
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