Teen Beat - September 97

HANSON TALKS!
QWith Isaac, Taylor, and Zac!

Big things are expected of Hanson. People in-the-know in the music biz are already comparing them to the legendary Jackson 5! This group of three blondie brothers from Oklahoma are on their way to stardom, and they've gotten off to a good start with their already way popular single, "MMMBop". And not only do they know what they're doing--they wrote all the songs on Middle of Nowhere, their new album, and taught themselves to play instruments! Here are Isaac, Taylor and Zac talkin'!

TEEN BEAT: How did you guys decide to become a group and try to make a go of it?
TAYLOR: I think it was a natural progression because we were always singing. Our mom and dad sang a lot. Our parents used to joke that they would go out and tell us, "Do the dishes," and they'd come home and we would have written a song! We didn't even think about it--it just happened!

TEEN BEAT: How have your friends reacted to your new album coming out?
ISAAC: We've done music with our friends also. My best friend is in a band...
TAYLOR: And they've always known this was part of our life. It's not a shock to them.

TEEN BEAT: Does one of you sing much more than the others?
ISAAC: It's pretty even. TAYLOR: A lot of groups have one singer, and the thing that makes us Hanson is there are three guys who sing.

TEEN BEAT: Do your parents travel with you?
ISAAC: Obviously, we can't drive!
TAYLOR: We also have three other brothers and sisters--there are six of us--so the whole family comes. They're younger--two girls and a boy. Jessica is 8, Avery is 6 and Mackenzie, Mack for short, is the 3-year-old. I think they're all outgoing in their own way, and have music in them.

TEEN BEAT: Are any of you dating?
ISAAC: We can date, but right now it's not easy.....a girlfriend probably wouldn't want want to deal with it.
ZACHARY: They'd see us one minute a year!
TAYLOR: It's pretty weird. And also, you'll have a fan trying to get an autograph and then you tell her you have a girlfriend and she's like, oh, bummer!

(c) Teen Beat, September 1997

Teen Beat Article #2 - Issue Unknown

Hanson seems to be the new "IT"! Just a few months ago, Isaac, Taylor, and Zac were up at the Teen Beat offices, getting ready to release "MMMBop," the first single off their new album, Middle of Nowhere. They told us they were hoping it would do well and that fans would like it. Well, well, well! Little did these three Oklahoma brothers know that their music would take off like a rocket, and that girls would be screaming their names like cray! As of right now, Hanson is not touring, but Isaac told Teen Beat, "We intend to do a tour in the fall, at some point, but we definately intend to tour." Hanson was planning on visiting Southeast Asia and Australia this month to give the teens there a taste of their music. If the reception is anything like it's been here, Hanson headed to international superstar staus! Hanson has spent the past few months performing in the U.S. at various venues, including a couple that Teen Beat attended.

Teen Beat Article #3 - Issue Unknown

Our parents used to joke that they would go out and tell us, 'Do the dishes, and they'd come home and we would have written a song!" says Taylor, the middle brother in the group Hanson, a new teen pop group on the music scene. And that's pretty much the story for these three brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma who practically have music running through their veins! One listen to their tunes and you'd think Isaac, Taylor, and Zachary are music veterans, but they're still all under 18 years old! Isaac is the oldest at 16 , Taylor is 13 and Zachary is just 11, but the wisdom of the thoughts that comes through their songs tricks you into thinking the words were penned by a grown-up! TEEN BEAT got together with Hanson to talk about their new album, Middle Of Nowhere (due out May 6th), and their catchy first single, "MMMBop," which you may already have heard on the radio. Meeting Ike, Tay, and Zach was something we'll never forget. Zach is just like a younger version of actor Jim Carrey, and he had us laughing throughout the whole interview!

TEEN BEAT: Do you write music together?
ISAAC: Yes.
ZACHARY: Yes, but we write all different ways. One of us will write something, and then the rest will come in, or we'll all write the whole song.
ISAAC: Generally, one of us will start a song, and then we'll debate over who has the best idea.
TEEN BEAT: What inspires you to write?
ZACHARY: Everyday life.
ISAAC: It's just things that happen. We're inspired by all sorts of different things . Sometimes I'll just look out the window and something clicks .
TAYLOR: I think a lot of times we're inspired by whatever happens - just talking to friends, doing whatever - all of a sudden we're inspired and we write a song.
TEEN BEAT: Tell us what it was like to record your album.
ISAAC: Well, we'd already released two independent albums before that. It's all a learning experience and also very much a working experience. Every situation is different.
ZACHARY: It's tedious, but it's fun!
TAYLOR: We love to sing, but we know there's work involved in making it happen.
TEEN BEAT: What type of music do you guys listen to?
TAYLOR: We listen to a lot - Counting Crows, Spin Doctors, Billy Joel, Aerosmith. We listen to some rap, and, just because we're in Oklahoma, we listen to some country. We like a lot of different stuff.
TEEN BEAT: Is Hanson your last name?
TAYLOR : Hanson is our last name . We used to be The Hanson Brothers , but Hanson is much more . . .
ZACHARY: . . . and then some people got our name wrong and called us Handsome!
TEEN BEAT: What are your favorite songs on your album?
ISAAC: Well, I think Iíd say if anybody has 15 minutes to listen to the album, Iíd say listen to a minute of every song . It's really hard because there's quite a bit of variety to the songs - one makes you want to dance, it's really up and makes you feel good . And then other ones are really intense - it's like, wow, what is this about? And then other ones are just mellow . We write every one and then every one has a different meaning to us .