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Hanson
Can't Complain About Success
5/20/00 (AllPop.com) |
It's a boy-band world after all.
Even the three teenaged brothers of Hanson acknowledge the act to beat -- in terms of current record sales -- is 'NSYNC, given their continued domination of music charts.
"They're doing a good job -- they're selling a lot of records!" the blond-haired, fresh-faced trio, in town yesterday and today to promote their own sophomore effort,
This Time
Around, say in unison.
"There's nothing you can do about it," continued drummer Zac, 14. "I mean, you do your best job to debut high or whatever and sell a lot of records, but there's nothing you can really do, so you can't think about it too much. I mean, you think about it to a certain extent -- 'Oh, this band's debuting high,' just because it'd be great to debut at No. 1."
Still,
This Time Around
isn't doing so badly either. It debuted at No. 12 this week in Canada and No. 19 in the U.S. "We're in the Top 20 albums right now. That's amazing," said guitarist Isaac, 19. "To even be on the chart is very, very cool. I think the record is still, hopefully, building up steam, and we're getting ready to release our second single. We don't have anything to complain about."
No kidding.
This Time Around
follows Hanson's eight-million-selling 1997 debut,
Middle Of
Nowhere, which spawned the huge hit,
MMMBop. It garnered three Grammy nominations including record of the year.
You'd think there would be a lot of pressure on three kids from Tulsa, Okla., who started singing when they were still in elementary school. Yet they seem remarkably undaunted by the ever-growing field of acts out there that cater to teens.
"I think one of the cool things about music is that there can be so much stuff at the same time," said Zac. "For instance, you have Kid Rock and you have 'NSYNC, and you have Korn and you've got Britney Spears. There's all these bands that are out there and no one likes every band."
For their part, Hanson -- who wrote all the songs on their new album -- managed to release a record that not only sounds more mature, due in part to their deeper voices, but has more rock and R&B influences alongside their own particular brand of blue-eyed Motown soul and gospel.
Although they're not convinced about the soul part, especially after getting Rose Stone of Sly & The Family Stone to sing on
This Time
Around.
"I don't think we have that much soul. I think we're pretty low on the soul level," said Zac.
Added keyboardist Taylor, 16: "When you see someone like that, when you see Rose Stone, an unbelievable singer, it's just like very pore of their body is just oozing talent and soul."
In addition to performing on MuchMusic today between 2:30-3:30 p.m., Hanson performed a short half-hour set at Playdium yesterday in front of about 600 fans.
The mini-concert was also broadcast on the Internet. Much was made of the fact that Hanson started up their own Internet Service Provider --
hanson.net
-- a few months ago.
But as of yesterday, they had no idea how many subscribers had signed up other than "several thousand."
"We have been doing a lot of Internet stuff, a lot of chats," said Zac. "The thing is with the Internet, as far as music and getting your stuff out there, it's such a great tool."
As for an actual Hanson tour, they won't be hitting the road in North America until at least late July.
"We're not sure as to when exactly we'll be getting to Toronto, but we'll definitely be coming, that's for sure," said Isaac.
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