How 98 Degrees ‘Took a Page Out of Taylor Swift’s Playbook’ for Their New Album and Tour (Exclusive)

98 Degrees is excited to be back on the road.

Bandmates Nick and Drew Lachey, Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre recently sat down with PEOPLE as they prepared to kick off their fall tour, ahead of the release of the group’s new album, Full Circle. As they look back at their nearly 30 years as a band, the entertainers are proud of where they stand.

“I think everybody wants that pie-in-the-sky kind of traditional success. You want this chart position, you want this tour, but I think for us, we view it a little differently,” Drew shares.

“We love being able to perform. We love being able to make music. So for us, I think success is the continuation of that, being able to continue doing what we love to do,” he continues.

“We want to continue to make good music. We want to continue to be out in front of our fans and doing shows,” the 48-year-old adds. “So I think those are the marks of success now, is if you’re able to continue to have longevity.”

The new album is special to the band in that it’s comprised of “half originals, half remasters,” Drew explains.

“We are taking a page out of Taylor Swift’s playbook and redoing some of our hits that people have grown to love over the years and doing remasters of those,” he shares.

Of the new material, Justin, 51, says, “There’s a song that Nick co-wrote and one that Drew co-wrote. It’s always cool when we have material we had part in writing.”

“Then we have kind of an updated 98 Degrees sound,” Drew adds. “I mean, obviously harmonies is always going to be a big part of our music and focus on the melodies and the storytelling through the songs, but the updating of the tracks, we have some great producers that have worked on it.”

For the release, the group teamed up with Swedish producer Anders Bagge, whom they lovingly call “our Swedish secret weapon.”

“[Anders] worked on ‘Because of You’ and ‘Una Noche,’ and a bunch of our hits in the past. We have a song that we did with him as well that’s exciting,” Drew adds. “It’s a great group of songs together that we’re really excited for people to hear.”

It’s hard for the band to believe how far they’ve come since hitting the scene in the mid ’90s, but they’re excited by the prospect of what’s to come, including further connecting with their fans.

“If you would’ve asked us in 1996, if 30 years from now, we’d still be doing it, I mean, I don’t know if we ever would’ve dreamed that that would’ve been a possibility. I think that is a true mark of success,” Drew concludes.

If you’re looking to catch the band on their fall tour, visit 98degrees.com for upcoming tour dates.