Hanson has spent the last 26 years proving they’re more than a one-hit wonder, but even they knew they had to pull something big to keep things interesting. The answer? String Theory, a sprawling concept album and tour that reimagines their catalog with a 50-piece orchestra. Because what’s the logical next step after decades of pop-rock songwriting? Apparently, going full Carnegie Hall.
“We celebrated playing together for 25 years last year,” Taylor Hanson says. “We don’t usually spend a lot of time reflecting—like, ‘Oh, look how long we’ve been a band!’—but we did last year. And we knew we wanted to do something that really challenged us.”
Enter the orchestra. But instead of just slapping some violins onto their biggest hits, they took a different approach: What if we built an entire project around this collaboration?
“We’d had this on the bucket list for years,” Taylor says. “And we started thinking, what would this look like if we didn’t just add strings, but actually built something from the ground up?”
The result is a double album and two-part concert experience designed to feel like “one continuous song,” a narrative arc that blends deep cuts, fan favorites, and brand-new material.
“We placed new songs next to well-known ones to highlight them as songs, not just nostalgia pieces,” Taylor explains. “A great song can be reinvented and rethought, and it still stands up.”
For Hanson fans, the biggest surprise might be MMMBop, which gets a makeover that sounds more wistful than sugar rush. “It’s stripped back to the way it was written—just guitar and vocals—and then wrapped in this massive orchestral arrangement,” he says. “It probably feels the most different to people.”
And that’s kind of the whole point. Even MMMBop, the song that launched a thousand screaming teens, now sounds like a bittersweet reflection on time and memory when dressed in full symphonic glory.
The challenge wasn’t just revisiting old songs, though—it was writing new ones that could hold their own alongside decades of material. “We had to think about range, instrumentation, and leaving space,” Taylor says. “When you're a three-piece band with a bass player and a keyboardist, you’re used to making as much sound as possible with five people. But when you’ve got 50 players, you have to pull back. We had to rewire our instincts.”
The heavier orchestral influence also meant setting some of their signature influences aside. “R&B is at the core of what we do, but this wasn’t the right project for that,” Taylor says. “We leaned more into singer-songwriter storytelling, into the drama of it.”
Of course, some songs practically nominated themselves for inclusion. “Tragic Symphony was a no-brainer,” he says. “But not just because of the title—it has this darker energy, this intensity we needed in the setlist. We wanted to tell a story, and that one just fit.”
And then there’s Siren Call, one of the new tracks, which drapes itself in lush, cinematic melancholy. “You need moments where the weight of it really hits,” Taylor says. “It’s about building and releasing tension—taking people on a journey.”
Which is, of course, what Hanson has been doing for years, just with fewer woodwinds. But now, they’re fully leaning into the idea that their music isn’t just teen-pop nostalgia—it’s got weight, it’s got craft, and yes, it sounds pretty damn impressive when backed by an entire orchestra.
As for what comes next? “We’re already thinking about it,” Taylor says. “That’s why we’re still here. You always have to be thinking about what’s next.”
Listen to the interview above and then check out the videos below!
