Hanson

Seventeen Magazine got the opportunity of a lifetime to chat with one of the hottest guys in the industry - Taylor Hanson!

"Before going on stage, we try to hype each other up. We give each other pats on the back; you know, have a little pow-wow backstage. Then we get into a football huddle and head out!"

In 1997, three young boys from Tulsa Oklahoma and their hit single "MmmBop" consumed our radio airwaves. Fresh and original, they were a new sensation. Made up of Isaac, Taylor and Zach Hanson and aged 16, 13 and 11 at the time, how could we not be impressed? The Hansons have always been writing and composing their own songs and weren't we glad when they performed it for the 1998 Grammys. Now, years later, aged 24 (Isaac), 22 (Taylor) and 19 (Zach) they have truly come into their own. Matured not only in their looks, but also in their music, lyrics and even how they perceive the world, these boys are set to take on the world.

Growing up

Speaking to Taylor Hanson, you tend to forget that he is only 22 years old. Maybe it's because he is an entrepreneur as well as a recording artist. After leaving their previous recording company Mercury Records, the boys set up a sweet deal for themselves by starting up their own label 3CG Records. With everything going on around this young man, it's tough to imagine what it was like for him growing up in the entertainment industry. He simply answers, "We grew up driven to do our music on our own. Our youth was unique because we got to travel and do shoots. We're just normal guys who are lucky enough to do what we love at that level. It's an inspiring and amazing life when you get to do all of these cool things."

The music industry however, does move by swiftly and by its standards, Hanson has been around awhile. So long in fact, that Michelle Branch used to be the opening act for their concerts. Now she is a star in her own right. She has been quoted saying that she looks up to them. "It's cool to see someone else you know get the recognition they deserve. It's the ultimate compliment to be looked up to and it was great to have her on the record," says Taylor.

The music

After a few minutes of speaking to Taylor, you realise that it really is all about the music to him. So we asked the obvious question about their hit single "Penny And Me". Who is Penny? Taylor says, "Penny represents a bunch of things. It could be friends, feelings or even music. She is anything literal to our lives that make us feel good. Penny is what you always bring with you. The feeling of being free." It might sound intense but like we said, this is a very intense young man. Even his answers to how he writes his songs is stirring. He has grown up so much, yet he still takes to writing the same way he did when he was 13 years old. "Writing is a moral code, it is still the same. The only difference is that it just go better. You have to be passionate and excited about the music, charge things up. You have to be amped to do it." Taylor credits other musicians like Coldplay, Travis and Ryan Adams for his musical inspiration. "Subconsciously, what you listen to changes things."

Change and the future

Although Taylor claims they haven't changed creatively, there is no denying that they sound very different to when they started out. "I think that our music has evolved. As an artist, you can't record the same album, you need to look for inspiration. You have to turn things over." That's exactly what they did for their latest album. "We started with a preconceived idea and then we moulded that idea of what the album should sound like and who we should be."

Taylor plays producer, singer and songwriter on the brothers' new album Underneath. Everyone knows that this is no easy feat. He has already conquered more than most of us would ever dream of, so what does Hanson have planned for the future? "We might take our music to other genres, but it all depends on the tone of the album and our identity. We don't want to do something that isn't us." That said, this young lad surely has something planned out for himself as well, "I'd like to do some side projects. Do something outside of the band. Maybe find a few people who want to do the something unique so that we can work on a specific sound." This might make him sound a little ambitious but his dreams don't stop there. "I would like to work with people that I respect, people who push me to do different things like metal/rap. It causes you to rethink what you want to be. It makes you want to challenge yourself."

We hope that this strong need to make waves with his music never dies out. If you ask us, we'd honestly say that the most endearing quality Taylor Hanson has is that he doesn't back down from a challenge. He chooses, instead, to meet them full on and that is true star quality.