Just a little while longer and then.....
HANSON IS BACK!

Did you have to look twice when you saw this picture? Yes, we can imagine that very well. Sure, you can still see it's the Hanson brothers, but boy have they changed! Taylor had his hair chopped off a little bit, Isaac a *lot* and Zac....he just suddenly grew up!!!!

Big caption under article: The new look of Isaac, Taylor and Zac

"I've substituted my two brothers for two others," joked Taylor recently. He may have had a haircut himself, but Isaac and especially Zac have undergone major changes as well. The long hair has always been the trademark image of Isaac (now 19), Taylor (16) and Zac (14). It was probably one of the reasons for their major break-through in 1997, almost three years ago now.

All the teenagers who were fed up with all those BSB- and 'NSync-like boybands, found what they looked for in those three brothers from Tulsa: a somewhat more alternative look and most of all a rockier sound.

And another main reason: finally a band who played their own instruments, Taylor vocals and keyboards, Isaac the guitarhero and Zac who banged his drums, not unlike Animal from the Muppets show (which is also his nickname for that reason).

With their first single MMMBop, the threesome instantly had their greatest hit so far; this song reached the second place in all the hit lists over here. [*note from Pascalle, MMMBop was number 1 for 9 consecutive weeks here, so I wonder where they got their info...*] The follow up single Where's The Love reached number 15, but their third single, I Will Come To You did a little better. All three numbers came from their album 'Middle of Nowhere', and besides that CD the three brothers also released a Christmas CD [Snowed In], a CD with old material [3 Car Garage] and a live CD [Life At Albertane]. [<---yes, they got that wrong also!]

Hanson has always been different. They had already been performing for 5 years when they broke through (while Zac was only 11) and came from a big family, which traveled with them everywhere they went. Father Walker and mother Diane had four more children after Ike, Taylor and Zac, Jessica, Avery, Mackenzie and Zoe. The kids didn't go to a regular school, they were homeschooled by Walker (their dad) and private tutors.

Isaac: "I finally lost my braces!"

Back to the year 2000. We haven't heard much from Hanson for some years now; the brothers have never done a real concert in our country. And while they went to all corners of the planet until last year, we already had to miss them.

Maybe that is why the contrast with the little boys from MMMBop seems so big!

"I've changed the most," admits Zac with a breaking voice; since he is going through the voice change. "During the past year I grew over 3 inches and I am now 5'7"! I also weigh over 60 kilos (couldn't find the conversion rate!), he says laughing.

Isaac too has gone through a small metamorphosis: "Okay I have cut my hair, that is right. But what I find more important is the fact that I have finally lost the stupid braces! Of course they served a purpose, don't get me wrong, but I have to confess that I was always pretty embarrassed when I had to smile for pictures. Now I love to laugh and I laugh a lot, haha!

And fortunately the brothers still make music; it means a bit more patience, but this spring there will finally be a new release from the men. The album 'This Time Around' should be in the shops by the beginning of May. And the new single is planned to be come out a little while before that, on April 3rd. It will be called If Only and it's a love song.

They should have more experience in the love department by now... "Sure", says Taylor laughing, "though I have to say we are still way too young to have any real experiences. But you don't have to have had a heartache to be able to write about it. Well, you know what? Just wait and see, you guys will hear for yourselves. Just a little more patience!"

TOP LEFT:
Hanson as we got to know them in 1997. Nice long hair, cute sneakers, but most of all Zac with very short little legs.

TOP RIGHT:
From their first visit to our country Hanson was received as superstars. They did a press conference for the whole country in the Melkweg in Amsterdam, since everyone wanted to talk to them and they were only here for one day!

BOTTOM LEFT:
The Hitkrant meet and greet competition received so many entries that we had to rebuild the whole editorial department! Here are some of the lucky winners!

BOTTOM CENTER:
Even at their young ages the brothers Hanson were so talented that they could play their own instruments, which they had to show, of course!

BOTTOM RIGHT:
At the end of 1997, the men visited our country again, for the MTV awards in Rotterdam. And they left with more than one award. After that there was a silence... but if all goes well this silence should end soon!