Eres Magazine - Argentina
from Nada

The three brothers who shook the music industry 3 years ago are back in the number one slot in rankings with a more rock-edged album, “This Time Around”. We’ve been with Taylor, Isaac and Zac in California to talk a bit about everything, so we recommend not missing this complete interview.

“You realize you’re famous when people recognize you in the street, when you feel the looks on your work, not that much in your person. We don’t hide in a cupboard yet so that fans don’t reach us”, Taylor says. “We don’t think either we’re the most famous people in the world”, adds Isaac.

“My life hasn’t changed like the Rolling Stones’”, utters Zac.

But then… why did these 3 young brothers amaze the whole world with “MMMBop”, and are just as famous worldwide as Michael Jackson? In order to find the answer we flew to Beverly Hills, California, to get the know their new album, “This Time Around”, and the hidden secret of these music genies.

How much time did you stay in the studio in order to record this new album?

Taylor: We recorded all the album in L.A., and the surprise is that the sound is very different from “MMMBop”, it’s more rock’n’roll, and has a similar feeling because we’re still Hanson, but at the same time it’s different, we’ve grown up.

Isaac: We grew up, and with us our music also, and that’s something you can tell by listening to our first single: “If Only”. We recorded 18 songs, from which we had to choose 15 or 12, and that’s the hardest thing, because we like them all, and it’s tough to discard your own work when you consider it’s good.

With this obvious growing-up thing, do you think you’re now taking music as a more serious business?

Taylor: We’ve always been into our musicians part. We take very serious this business and being on a band. People think that since we’re young we have no music spirits, youth makes you be crazy and fun, but we have the formal attitude in this business. We grew up with it, and that’s the funniest thing.

Do you divide your work, at music level, or do you create and supervise everything together?

Taylor: We do it together. For instance, when Zac comes up with some lyric or rhythm, we try to better it with the ideas each other have on mind.

Zac: The good thing is that none of us have a specific role, we’re all in charge of our music. We exchange parts in every minute. One of us starts to reply mails from our website, the other checks out the sound. In this trio we all work equally.

Isaac: That’s what makes Hanson work, the fact that there are no particular roles, everything in this album is in a general level. When it’s about our music, we’re all involved and try our utmost to make it the best way.

Why do you think that a song like “MMMBop” was so successful, when in fact the lyrics have no message?

Taylor: No idea. In music, it’s very risky to predict or state. It was a song that came up in the right time; maybe it was that, we don’t actually know the answer. It can be because it’s very hilarious and a lot of people liked it.

Isaac: It may be because we dig it and we enjoy it. And it’s spontaneous, you don’t necessarily have to tell stories or give messages.

Did it trouble you the change of voice, or that of all a sudden you go like “Chicken Claudio”?

Taylor: I believe that the one who is suffering now from that is Zac, as he’s in that moment in which not only your voice changes, but also everything else…

Zac: No, that’s not true, the drastic changes already happened, but the voice changes until the age of 21.

Taylor: That’s the problem you have when you sing live, you must decrease the volume of the instruments so that your voice can be heard, it’s such an eyesore!

In this new record a couple of DJ’s took part…

Taylor: Well, we already did that a little bit on our first album. In fact, we invited musicians such as the Blues Travelers to play with us. We love to make records in which many musicians are included, and even better if they have experience. The DJ’s work gives textures and different sounds to ours, let’s say it’s the flavor or the surprise of the album, to find, for example, harmonica sounds you weren’t expecting. It’s fun to mix sounds.

Is any of you open to collaborate in the same way in other albums like your musical guests did?

Zac: Sure, of course, the thing is that now we’re into this new record; but we are pretty sure that we’ll have the chance to collaborate with friends.

Taylor: And we’d do it just for the love we have to music, and to the different genres.

Isaac: We write songs, and very different, so why wouldn’t we do the same with music; besides, it’s better when you get out of your own genre and you try different rhythms such as grunge. One thing is the sound you hear on Hanson, and the other is the world of opportunities that as musicians we have to compose. Let’s clarify we aren’t thinking of limiting our sound.

What do you listen at home when you have to forget about Hanson?

Zac: I reckon it’s impossible that my records or our music aren’t in private moments, because it’s something that we adore, but you mustn’t avoid your music when you’re relaxing. I mean, we don’t hate listening to us at home, as well as other kind of music.

Taylor: When it comes to me, when I go off stage the least I wanna hear is “MMMBop”, but we compare us with other sound and we still like us. I’m interested in anything that has to do with Crows: Black Crows, Counting Crows, Sheryl Crow… Well, also Black Sabbath, Lauryn Hill.

Isaac: The thing is that before releasing the album you listen to it so many times, when you compose, record, mix, edit, and then you put it to your family and all your friends, that you become sick of listening the same thing for six months. But I love all of our songs, which is why we do them.

Living among brothers is not easy, there’s always the leader, the boss, and the one in the middle. Isn’t there a moment in which you can’t stand working for 24 hours one next to the other?

Taylor: Any person in the world who lives with others for more than 3 hours a day doesn’t stand the other after a while or begin to have differences… anyone. But we’re the best friends, none, none of us have an outside friend who could know him better.

Zac: We write together, share our time, compose, everything is one next to the other and you learn to live in a friendly atmosphere, otherwise, everything would explode.

Isaac: If I become your friend and we share everything, the moment in which our opinions differ will come, it’s normal, that’s the way living with others is. We argue about a better sound, because one of us like a cord, and the other two don’t; but we do it because we see our faces every single day.

Zac: we correct each other mutually, we say: “You can do it better in this note or this song”, that’s what our fights are about. We get along very, very well.

Considering all the time you have to dedicate to the production of an album, do you have time to go to school or study?

Taylor: The truth is that for school, no! But we’re about to graduate, because our parents teach us and then we sit for the written exams on a school and that’s it.

Do you imagine in ten years from now singing in the same concept of a group of brothers?

Taylor: No, I would like to be a music producer, make records for somebody else.

Isaac: Composing songs would be a great option, or having a recording studio.

Zac: If we weren’t on the group, we’d still be doing something related to music. 

Translated by Nadia, Argentina.

Wanna e-mail me? nadiasol@hotmail.com