Three decades after MMMBop turned three young brothers into global pop sensations, Hanson is back in the spotlight, and fans can hardly believe how much their lives have changed.
Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson were still kids when their 1997 smash hit made them household names.
Now, with the brothers all grown up and Taylor stepping onto a reality TV stage, fans are getting a nostalgic reminder of the three blond brothers who once dominated the ’90s.
The Hanson brothers were just kids when one of their songs turned them into overnight global stars in the ‘90s
The brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma, became an international sensation in 1997 after their hit song exploded on radio stations and music charts around the world.
What made their rise even more unusual was their age.
Isaac was 16, Taylor was 14, and Zac was just 11 when Hanson suddenly became one of the most recognizable young acts of the decade.
Their long blond hair and youthful faces made them instant teen idols, but the brothers weren’t simply performers assembled by a record label.
They played their own instruments, wrote music together, and had already been performing as a family before their major breakthrough.
Their debut album, Middle of Nowhere, became a major commercial success, earning the brothers Grammy nominations and cementing their place in late-’90s pop culture.
Isaac, Taylor, and Zac are all in their 40s now, having gone from teenage heartthrobs to husbands and fathers
For a generation that watched the brothers grow up through music videos, magazine covers, and television appearances, it can be difficult to reconcile those teenagers with the men they have become.
Perhaps the biggest change in the brothers’ lives has nothing to do with music at all.
Isaac, 45, Taylor, 43, and Zac, 40, are all married now, and between them they have 15 children.
Taylor has seven children with his wife Natalie, Zac has five with his wife Kate, and Isaac has three with his wife Nicole.
Family life has remained an important part of the brothers’ adult lives, even while they have continued traveling and working together.
Rather than leaving their childhood fame behind completely, they have spent decades figuring out how to maintain a music career while also building lives away from the intense spotlight that surrounded them as teenagers.
Taylor’s recent appearance on Dancing with the Stars has brought the relatively private brothers back into the spotlight
And unlike many young stars whose early success eventually pulled them apart, the Hanson brothers have continued doing much of it together.
Even after the frenzy surrounding MMMBop faded away, the brothers never stopped being a band.
They continued releasing music and touring, eventually moving toward greater independence after leaving their major-label arrangement and establishing their own label, 3CG Records.
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That decision let Isaac, Taylor, and Zac take more control of their music’s direction, rather than trying to recreate the enormous pop success of their teenage years.
Over the years, the brothers have released new albums, toured internationally, and maintained a loyal fanbase that followed them well beyond their initial commercial peak.
Three decades after their biggest hit, the Hanson brothers are still making music while raising their huge families
Now, Taylor’s appearance on Dancing with the Stars has brought Hanson back into the wider public conversation.
Paired with professional ballroom dancer Britt Stewart, he has advanced to Week 3 after scoring 15 out of 30 for their Week 2 cha-cha to the viral hit Cake by the Ocean.
But despite becoming international stars at such a young age, the brothers have remained closely connected to their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Rather than building their adult lives around Hollywood, Isaac, Taylor, and Zac have continued to call Tulsa home while raising their families and working on music together.
Their decades-long career has also reportedly translated into substantial wealth, with various celebrity wealth estimates putting their combined fortunes in the tens of millions of dollars.
“I have this poster still in my poster folder. How amazing that they grew up to be proper good humans,” wrote one netizen
