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Do you remember those long-haired brothers with the hit "MMMBop"? Today, one is married with a son. With their own record company, and a not so successful album later, they are back.

OKEJ met them in London.

In 1997 they appeared from nowhere. The Hanson brothers, only 11, 13 and 16 year old, got their world-wide breakthrough with the sing along friendly song "MMMBop". Then it got quiet around the band, not until the following album, This Time Around, was released in year 2000. The album didn't have any huge hits and the sales of the record wasn't that high, but the band promised that a new album would be coming soon. But 'soon' in the Hanson's world doesn't seem to have the same meaning as to us. Now (this Spring), after four years, it looks like a new album is about to be released. It was rumoured that Hanson was kicked from their record label. It wasn't that dramatic, but it's correct that they're without a large record company who's helping them.

"When we were done with the record we simply told the company that it's not working," says Taylor the middle brother, now 20, and continues: "We told them that we wanted to release the material on our own record label 3CG. We have been thinking of doing it for a long time, but now first it's become reality. 3CG means 3 Car Garage, and is the chance for us to do this the way we want."

"If you don't take a chance to do something you want, what do you do then?" asks Isaac, 23, the oldest member of the band.

So Hanson took the chance and did the needed investments themselves.

"Of course there's no guarantee it will work, but we rather have our faith in our own hands." Isaac says.

At the moment they want to focus on their own album Underneath, that should be released in April, if everything works as planned. But later on they'd also like to work with other artists.

"If they make good music, that is inspiring," says Zac, who is now 18 years old.

On their first record Middle of Nowhere, that sold 8 million copies - in the US - some of the songs were written together with other songwriters. But on the album This Time Around the guys chose to write all songs themselves. Now they have gone back to co-writing, and chose who they would work with and it was a natural process. Michelle Branch is one one of those people that has written songs together with the guys, and she sings a duet with Isaac at one of the songs on the new album.

Several times during our half hour long interview the band members try to hide the fact that they're tired due lack of sleep. If the lack of sleep depends on work, concerts or Ezra, Taylor's one year old son did we get to know. In June last year Taylor married his girlfriend Natalie, and later the same year Ezra was born. "It's great. Of course you have to adjust to the situation, being a dad, being married. It's big things, but my wife really believes in what we're doing, and our son is really cute," says Taylor who earlier mostly avoided talking about his private life.

Still today most people think of "MMMBop" when you say Hanson. Maybe you think that the guys are still fighting to get rid of that label, but it isn't like that.

"No, we're proud of all we've done so far," Taylor explains.

"You always have to start somewhere," Isaac points out.

Hanson see Middle of Nowhere as the first chapter in a, hopefully, long book.

"It's always up to the fans to think what they want, and maybe people can appreciate the band for more than just "MMMBop," says Taylor before it's time for the band to go onstage, again proving that their strong melodies can make the world sing along.