Whether you liked it or not, the mid-1990s music scene was flooded with the sweet serenades of boy bands. The Backstreet Boys had Nick Carter, and there was Justin Timberlake from NSync.
But in the battle of the musical “hook,” the trophy goes to three blonde boys from Tulsa, Okla. — Hanson — for the smash-hit MMMBop.
“It’s funny how boy band songs are perceived because it takes a lot to meld something into a great hook or something that’s memorable,” said Taylor Hanson, who along with his brothers Zac and Isaac, achieved the accomplishment when he was just 14.
“Our journey has been to make a statement of making the best possible record for us at that time but we’ve been doing it for 20 years now so we’re getting better.”
Now 29, (yes — and married with two kids) Taylor and his brothers continue to show staying power in the music industry. They are playing to a sold-out crowd Thursday night at The Schooner Room at Casino Nova Scotia.
Sure, it’s nice to see that coulda-been one-hit-wonders continue to silence the skeptics — two Grammy nominations and over 16 million albums sold should shut the critics up. It’s even better to speak with an articulate, artistic adult whose creative passions go beyond his own wallet.
“(In 2006) we took a trip to Africa and we were so struck by how HIV and AIDS affects the life of the entire continent and you see yourself in these people,” Taylor said.
“You realize so many of these issues can have solutions that individuals can play a role in implementing.”
Since 2008, the Hanson brothers’ efforts inspired Take The Walk, which has led to close to 200, one-mile barefoot walks to raise money to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. Partnering with the then lesser-known shoe company, TOM’S, the Hanson brothers’ celebrity has help bring attention to this important cause.
“The idea of barefoot is just to connect with poverty and creating a platform that connects people to AIDS/HIV and poverty in Africa empowers people to support specific actions,” he said.
I did a wrote a paper on Take The Walk for college. Got an A on it 🙂