There’s nothing harder for a celebrity than realizing they have dropped from A list to B list and downward from there. It’s even more depressing to land on the D list with fellow residents like Andy Dick and Kathy Griffin. Some celebrities refuse to acknowledge they aren’t as famous as they used to be. Case in point, Nick Lachey, who is more famous for his marriage to Jessica Simpson than he is for being in the boy band 98 Degrees or anything he’s done during the last 10 years. Does the public really care about Nick Lachey, and does he understand why his star has fallen? The answer to both questions is probably no, so let’s count the ways that Nick Lachey is washed up.
#1: No One Cares About His Singing Career
The third-best boy band of the 90s
Nick Lachey was the leader of a moderately successful 1990s boy band, 98 Degrees. The group arrived right at the moment when NSYNC and Backstreet Boys were battling for supremacy. At most, 98 Degrees was the choice of fans who wanted to claim no allegiance to either of the two big boy bands. Lachey’s group had a few hits, including “The Hardest Thing,” “One Night (Una Noches),” and of “I Do “(which was written as a tie-in for Lachey’s marriage to Simpson).
Lachey was the first and only member of 98 Degrees to break out of his role in the band, thanks to his attachment to Simpson. The two collaborated on several songs, including their biggest hit, “Where You Are.”
SoulO was soul-crushing
Lachey thought his marriage to Simpson would launch his solo career, but his voice and looks alone did not a pop star make – Lachey’s solo debut, SoulO, peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Charts. In addition to the stupid name, the album just failed to produce anything resembling a hit.
Lachey rebounded a bit thanks to his divorce. He released a sad album called What’s Left Of Me, which made it to number 2 and certified gold by the RIAA. However, in the aftermath of the divorce, the music industry questioned whether the public would care about Lachey after interest in his divorce died down. The answer was largely no.
Exploiting the kid for an album
Lachey relaunched his music career several times over the next decade, even trying the desperate move of recording an album of children’s lullabies in 2013, looking to capitalize on his reputation as a new father. The album wasn’t even released by a major label; instead, Lachey turned to toy company Fisher Price to get the album out.
In 2014, Lachey pulled the classic move of pop stars whose time is done: recording an album of yesterday’s hits. His cover album didn’t really chart and wasn’t even played on the radio in Lachey’s hometown.
