What Makes HANSON MMMBop?

When we hung out with Hanson, the band behind the catchy hit single "MMMBop" from 1997's "Middle of Nowhere" CD, we discovered the secret to their success.

Curious? Read on and find out!

    The first time we at "BB" met the three Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Hanson brothers at the way-sophisticated Sofitel Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, we had a blast. When the babely, blond-haired Zachary opened their penthouse door to let us in, it was as if we had entered the Boppinest place on earth-their room smelled like lavender, there were flower prints everywhere and the guys were funny, happy, and really, really energetic. And as soon as we began to chat, we discovered that brothers Isaac, 16, Taylor, 14, and Zachary, 11, are each talented and special in their very own way.
    As keyboardist Taylor, a.k.a. Tay, explains it, their individual personalities add charm to the band as a whole. "First of all,Zach is wild and crazy, and he keeps the fans on their toes," Taylor says. Then he adds that Isaac, whom he calls Ike, is the most sentimental, a quality which is good for song-writing. "Ike writes a lot of the ballads and he's really cool 'cause he's the good older brother he's always been," Taylor says grabbing his heart and acting all mushy. When Isaac notices his brother is exaggerating the point, he plays along and says, "I didn't know you cared about me that much." And after a quick brotherly bonding moment, Taylor responds, "Neither did I." Ha! Getting back to his intial thoughts, Taylor finally says, "And I, I am the quietest one."
    Oldest brother and guitarist Isaac agrees that he and his brothers are diffreent from each other. But Isaac says that if he had to choose, he would say he's more like Zachary than Taylor. "I used to be the goofiest and then Zach just kind of took over," he says. And Zach, who is Hanson's drummer, couldn't agree more. He knows that he's funny and that his wild and crazy antics add a lot of spark to their live shows, but he tells us that he's not the only brother with a penchant for performing:Although Taylor says he's the quietest, Zach thinks Tay isn't always the pensive and introverted boy he appears to be. "Usually, when Tay has his moments, it's late at night and everyone is tired," Zach says. Isaac, agreeing with Zach, says to Taylor,"Yeah, you're so funny at night."
    So, we have Zach, the wild and crazy one, Isaac, the sentimental ballad-writer, and Taylor, whose quiet tendencies sometimes give way to his wacky side. "We are all linked together because we are all goofy at different times," Zach says. And these three personalities-from pensive to perky-add up to the perfect combination. And as long as they each act like themselves, Hanson fans can be sure this talented trio will keep MMMBopping for a long, long time!