Plus, an ET exclusive performance of their new track, 'Write You a Song.'
It may be hard to imagine, but the Hanson brothers have been making music together for 30 years! The trio -- Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson -- stopped by ET on Monday for an exclusive performance of their new song, "Write You a Song," off their latest album, Red Green Blue, and to reflect on their impressive career thus far.
2022 marks not only 30 years of the brothers playing together as a band, but also the 25th anniversary of their breakthrough 1997 hit, "MMMBop."
"I mean, it's a lifetime," Taylor shared. "We started with nothing but the voice, and that’s how we walked onstage 30 years ago. ... I think in the end, taking it back to that, taking it back to the song, talk about brothers and family singing together, you really can't replicate that."
Their newest single, however, is for the next generation of Hansons. Between the three brothers, they have 13 kids -- Isaac and wife Nicole share three kids, Taylor and wife Natalie are parents of seven and Zac and wife Kathryn have five little ones -- and it was Isaac's daughter, Nina, who inspired "Write You a Song," when she asked her dad for a song of her very own.
"The idea of the song is, songs are kind of like memories, they go with you wherever you go," Isaac shared. "And so, if you write a song for somebody, they'll never be lonely, 'cause they'll always have you with them."
"She loved it," he added of Nina's reaction as his brothers poked fun at him for being a pushover for his little girl, who also wanted to take center stage in the music video for the song.
"Now she knows how much power she has over you," Zac teased.
"I know, it's a real problem," Isaac admitted.
As for the possibility of a next-generation family band, never say never!
"There's definitely some creative kids," Taylor shared. "I mean, we have some drummers, we have some guitar players between the cousins. The cousins are very close, that is a very cool thing."
"I was hoping for a Major League Baseball player," Isaac joked.
"We would like a couple of attorneys, maybe a couple of doctors," Taylor agreed. "Maybe to kind of even it out."
So, what do the kids have to say about their dads' iconic long hair and '90s style from back in the day?
"It's crazy to see my 11-year-old daughter wearing, like, Dr. Martens and bucket hats, and I am like, 'Honey, I wore bucket hats and Dr. Martens," Zach noted with a laugh.
"My oldest, recently, he saw a photo of me at his age basically standing next to Steven Tyler and Jon Bon Jovi at the MTV Europe Awards," Isaac shared. "[He was like] what the heck is going on? Because he loves Aerosmith and Bon Jovi, so he was, like, tripping out."
"In the end, you're just 'Dad' to your kids," Taylor added. "You're there for them, you try to share what you can because you hope that they see you are working hard for something that you care about and that maybe they can replicate that in some way on their own."
Through 30 years of performing, Hanson, as a group, has never taken an official hiatus. They explained to ET that creative growth and other passion projects -- their 3CG Records label, collaborations, festivals, their own craft beer, cleverly named "Mmmhops," and more -- have been able to help them "stretch different muscles" and continue to advance their craft.
And it's that growth that led them to Red Green Blue, a unique take on an album. The record is actually comprised of three solo-led projects from the brothers: Taylor (Red), Isaac (Green) and Zac (Blue).
"We've always been focused on that united voice," Taylor shared. "This is an idea Issac had for a long time. He said, 'What if we were to break it up in this way and so each guy took five songs, said I'm gonna write and produce and build one another in?'"
"Ultimately, it's still a Hanson record," he assured. "It's just another way to focus on the fact that this is a band of three writers, three players and three singers."
"I think for a lot of people this is a way to kind of discover things that you don't know about what we do," Isaac agreed, "and get a fresh look at who we are as a band, who we are as artists and who we are as individuals."
"You have to grow and change, right? As you go through 25 years of life," Zac noted. "We started when I was six. I’m 36 right now. Things are very different."
Ultimately, the brothers said, they found the Red Green Blue project to be a refreshing way to celebrate their industry milestones, as well as to "reevaluate and examine the creative process," Isaac shared. "It's about growth."
"Considering all of the things that could have happened to our career, we have been so lucky that the challenges we have been up against haven't killed us," Taylor marveled. "We have come through, you know, we have started a record company, been entrepreneurs, now we chase our dreams and still make music, and now to be touring all over the world, more places than ever, it's kind of amazing."
Hanson's new album, Red Green Blue, is out now and their Red Green Blue tour kicks off June 8 in Helsinki, Finland. Check out their ET exclusive performance of "Write You a Song" below!
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