Hanson will be most remembered for their 1997 hit “MmmBop,” a sugary pop jam sung by three prepubescent boys. But 20 years later, those who haven’t kept up with the brother trio might not realize that they’re so much more than “MmmBop” — they’re vocalists.
To help emphasize Hanson’s voices and the harmonies they’re capable of, the guys created an album called String Theory, due later this fall. Zac, Taylor and Isaac collaborated with Oscar-winning composer David Campbell to put together orchestral arrangements of their biggest songs like “MmmBop” and “This Time Around,” as well as never-before-heard tracks such as “Battle Cry” and “No Rest For The Weary.”
It’s a new way for Hanson to share their music, but more importantly, it’s a career highlight for the brothers. “After playing together for more than 25 years, we said to ourselves, ‘It’s now or never, its time to start checking things off the bucket list,’ and we did it,” Isaac tells Billboard. “It took almost two years of planning and working, but we were able to work with our dream collaborator, David Campbell.”
Though the album isn’t out yet, Hanson have been on the road playing the new arrangements on the String Theory Tour, with a handful of dates this summer before kicking into full gear in October. Amid the shows and putting the finishing touches on the album, Hanson decided to turn the unique process into a documentary.
“When you take on a project of the scale of something like String Theory, you have to turn on the cameras and make sure to show the work, because this is a once-in-a-lifetime piece of work — you will likely never do something quite like this again,” Isaac suggests. “The process of crafting the String Theory show and album is unlike anything we had done before — it is one big story about the essence of the human spirit, the struggle, the doubt and the joy of it all.”
Billboard has a first look at the first episode of the String Theory documentary, which gives fans a taste of a brand new song called “Reaching For the Sky.” The guys also discuss why they wanted to do this project, with Taylor declaring that their songs are “truly at their height” in the String Theory shows.
Tickets for the String Theory Tour are on sale now, and fans can pre-order the album here.
Check out the first episode of the String Theory documentary below.