FOR a moment, it did seem like Hanson was gone.

In case you've forgotten, the group comprises three blond moppet brothers who made Mmm Bop a household name and high-pitched pre-pubescent singing hip.

Then, in the last four years, the boys went off the radar.


They parted ways with their record label. In music industry terms, this is a sure sign of an end.

And their second album sold only one million copies worldwide, a dismal follow-up to their debut album, Middle Of Nowhere, which sold eight million.

But the Hanson boys are back. And as with every teen group keen to make a fresh start, they are eager to show they have grown up.

Maybe a little too eager.

The minute they entered the interview room at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Bangkok, keyboardist and singer Taylor, 21, immediately launched into a long rhetoric about how they are not making music for the 'sex and the girls'.

He pointed to how the band has taken charge with its third album, Underneath, by producing it under its own label, 3CG Records.

PULLING THE STRINGS

He said: 'When we first started, we were so young and a lot of people around us were saying that we weren't real and that there was somebody behind us, pulling the strings.

'Now, we own the masters to our material. We are mapping out our own goals, setting the course. And we're sounding stronger and better than before.'

Added drummer Zac, 19: 'When you are an artiste, you have the choice to lead with passion and know who you are, or let someone show you who you are. We choose to lead with our passion.'

Hanson's rhetoric works for two reasons.

Firstly, the boys seem to make no apologies about their former teen-star status.

When a magazine reporter showed them a 1998 picture of themselves on the front cover, they seemed proud of it rather than embarrassed.

And, secondly, they seem genuinely keen to make their fans, and the media, like them.

The boys have been up since 8.30am on a series of promotional blitzes.

Zac was wolfing down ham and cheese finger sandwiches, and Taylor admitted to having a 'throbbing headache'.

FULL OF ENTHUSIASM

Yet not once did their enthusiasm wane.

Like Energizer bunnies on speed, they ploughed through each question with an over-charged hyperactiveness.

Even when the interview time was up, they seemed keen to carry on and reiterated their appreciation to their Thai fans.

A lot of the boys' rambunctious energy has to do with an irrepressible brotherly chemistry, as the boys rib each other effortlessly and finish off each other's sentences.

When Taylor was asked if his marriage has changed things, Zac and guitarist, Isaac, 24, threw in cheeky asides of 'yes, he's such a jerk now'.

Isaac even launched into a hilarious impersonation of Eddie Murphy's Donkey character in Shrek.

Said Zac about working together as brothers: 'When we make music together so much, it can be stressful, especially when you're trying and working so hard to do something that you love.

'At some point, you will break down, but that is what makes it worth it. Nothing that is good will be good without it taking commitment and hard work.'

But will fans who liked them during their Mmm Bop years remember?

Said Taylor: 'I hope to think we can gain new fans and carry the old ones with us.

'Or, hopefully, there will be people who will discover Hanson for the first time and then go back and listen to our earlier albums.

'Or people who may not like us at first but could go back after hearing this and like our older material.

As you grow, you make more and more of an impression on people.'

Added Isaac: 'It's like writing a book. You build on chapter after chapter. I'd say we're now at about chapter three or five.'

Yesterday once more with Mmm Bop

IT has become a trend for some bands to shy away from the songs that made them famous.

Rock group Incubus, for example, refuses to play its hit song, Drive. And I really doubt Lucky Star is on the set list of Madonna's latest tour.

This is where Hanson decided to stand out at its promotional showcase on Saturday in Siam Square, Bangkok.

Despite the pressure of having a new comeback album to plug this year, the brothers seemed more than happy to oblige the crowd with their signature tune.

And when they launched into the opening strains of Mmm Bop, the 300-strong crowd of head-bobbing Thai teenagers went ballistic.

Never mind that Taylor Hanson first sang this song when he still sounded like a Vienna Boys Choir extra.

In his grown-up, more soulful voice, he strummed his guitar, angelic blond locks billowing in the wind (thanks to a strategically-placed stage fan) and belted out each chorus line with enthusiastic gusto.


The tight, well-harmonised acoustic set saw the boys playing four songs.

They included another old favourite, If Only, and latest single Penny And Me, which has been getting tremendous radio airplay.

But the loudest cheers were reserved for Mmm Bop.

The crowd, almost entirely composed of girls within the 14 to 19 age bracket, sang along with unwavering fervour.

'Han-saan! Han-saan!' they screamed in thick Thai accents from as early as two hours before the 4.30pm showcase.

Hanson did not fail the crowd.

They appeared approachable (they stayed back to sign autographs) and was effusive with praise for their fans ('It's great/amazing/wonderful to be here!', they intoned no less than five times).

Which goes to show that even if a band grows up, it has to always remember the people and the song which put it on that stage in the first place.