After 30 years as a band, Hanson created an album in a way they've never done before: going solo.

The sibling trio's latest release, RED GREEN BLUE, is an amalgamation of a 5-song mini album created by each individual brother: RED for Taylor, GREEN for Isaac and BLUE for Zac. Each brother wrote and produced their third of the album entirely on their own (with the help of GRAMMY Award-winning producers Jim Scott and David Garza), which was new territory for the familial group. But that doesn't mean it's any less Hanson — in fact, it may be their most Hanson record to date.

"You really hear the creative voice of each guy in a different way," Taylor suggests during a recent Zoom interview with his brothers. "Fans that have followed us for years have understood this idea of, 'that's sort of an Isaac song' or 'that's sort of a Taylor song, or Zac [song]' — or at least that's subliminally been in the sound of our work. It's us working together in a different capacity."

RED GREEN BLUE provides Hanson fans a chance to get lost in the uniqueness of each brother's voice and musical talent — after all, they each sing, songwrite, and play instruments. But their unmistakable bond and chemistry is as vibrant as ever thanks to their signature harmonies, which appear in varied ways across every track.

GRAMMY.com spoke to the Hanson brothers about taking this new creative direction, their continued growth as artists, and the importance of creating connections with fans for 30 years and counting.

The album combines three separate solo projects into one album. What led you to that decision? Why did it make sense to combine them into one album?

Zac: You're trying to deepen the connection you have with people, go deeper down the rabbit hole of why we do what we do, how we do what we do — what it is that makes Hanson an entity, and why we've been together for 30 years. A little bit of deconstruction, taking the parts and seeing them as individuals, seemed like a cool and interesting — and also challenging — way to tell our story as a band at this sort of critical moment in our history.

We produce almost all of our music, just the three of us. That's a very full room full of ideas and lots of opinions. In a normal environment, it's hard to get a fourth or a fifth person and their ideas into the music. It provided the opportunity to have Jim Scott, who's a great producer/engineer, and a good friend, David Garza, who's also a great artist and producer, to play a more full role..

Taylor: We've always really been passionate about writing songs as much as performing. On this record, you hear the creative voice of each guy in a different way. There's not many bands that have every member contribute creatively as singers, players and writers.  

Fans that have followed us for years have understood this idea of, “that's sort of an Isaac song” or “that's sort of a Taylor song, or Zac [song]” — or at least that’s subliminally been in the sound of our work. It’s a project that highlights those things differently.

In the end, it's still presented as Hanson because it is Hanson. It's us playing on each other's work. It's us working together in a different capacity. Finding a way to balance the differences, while also putting them on a platform of what we've made together, was a unique challenge. I think we found a balance on how to do it.

The new album is called RED GREEN BLUE. What is the significance of those colors?

Isaac: It goes back, frankly, as long as I can remember, to our childhood in some way or another, because as we were growing up, my childhood favorite color was green, Taylor's was red, and Zac's was blue. And that was the kind of thing that we would use those colors to differentiate things like, "Oh, that's my stuff." It goes back that far in our personal history.

It's also indicative of certain parts of our personalities. I think it's a kind of an appropriate metaphor for who we are. Taylor's a very kind of driven, a very passionate kind of guy, you see that in red. I am a little bit [of an] organic-leaning guy. And Zac is an adventurer — he sees the blue sky kind of possibilities. We joked around with calling it... What was it? Red Blood?

Taylor: Red Blood was where I was going to go.

Isaac: Yeah, Red Blood. And then Greener Pastures and Blue Yonder. We thought about different names, but in the end RED GREEN BLUE gave the message of [being] together and also the difference of separate voices at the same time.

This isn't the first time the band's released music in an untraditional way. For the band's last album, Against the World, you released a single at a time throughout the year. What do you like about shaking things up like that? 

Taylor: It just challenges us. The best thing about this project, for me, was getting to collaborate with other people we respect. Jim Scott — who's just a real legend and a gentleman — Jim has produced, engineered or mixed many of our favorite records from Tom Petty to [Red Hot] Chili Peppers, and many more in between.

And David Garza, he's been a longtime friend and somebody we admire greatly as a musician. The silver lining of the whole project was their contribution and being able to share a project. We've known both of them in different capacities for years, and never actually created something from the very beginning until the end. Both of those gifted people are a part of the Hanson story and can sort of share in whatever we get to do from here.

Zac: I think the way you release an album can have a big effect on the way people hear that music. And we recognize that. In this case, releasing a three-part album — three individual solo projects released together — that's a story. But to tell that story, it seemed best to release one single from each first, so that people are already on that journey. They're already in a head space that's helping them hear it as true to what it was created to be.

It's a huge benefit to have an opportunity to put the spotlight on more songs. Also, at this point in our career, there's more songs than we will ever play in one concert. There's more than we'll ever play in a week of concerts! In that environment, every song matters more.

The band strives to create story-driven songs that challenge the listener to grow. You're also looking to give fans new reasons to listen. Why are those important goals? 

Isaac: Sometimes you're concerned, "Oh, will the audience evolve with me?" And you feel like you have to give the audience what you think they need.  

Taylor: That pathway happens to a lot of artists, because frankly, they get tired. They're like, "Hey, I'm never going to play these songs. Let's play the songs people want." But half of what you do as an artist is for yourself — for your own creative fire, and that sense of excitement and energy.

We've always felt like the fans respond to what they see in you. They respond to the earnestness and to the story. We had a great producer we worked with on our fourth record, Danny Kortchmar, who is a legend as a guitar player and a producer. One of the things he said was that part of the job of an artist is to keep your antenna up — communicate through songs what a lot of people are feeling, but may not have an outlet for.

One theme of our whole career — and it comes from who we are as a unit and how we've all grown up — is there is an aspirational quality.t Trying to find a silver lining, trying to be optimistic through challenges — not to ignore the challenges, but to look for answers and look for solutions. All that stuff comes together and that paints a picture for themes. You hear in the music we make.

Isaac: You can hear those themes as early as in songs like "MMMBop," you can hear them in "Where's The Love" and "This Time Around" and "Save Me." As well as a song like "Child at Heart," for example, which is talking about not losing the innocence — if you keep a little bit of that child in you alive, you've always got hope for tomorrow. And hope is really, really important.

As a core principle, you tend to write your ethos into your music. And what you hear in our music over and over again is that desire to overcome the temporary hardship, that desire to overcome the place you're in and look over the horizon. In a way, I think we give therapy to ourselves by writing these songs. People need to be able to hear that message.

"Write You A Song" is about realizing what's really important in one's life. That theme feels pretty relevant these last few years. What inspired that song?  

Isaac: We're all feeling a lot of stress from the isolation and the uncertainty that COVID injected into all of our lives. It probably, in some way, brought about the Red Green Blue record, because we also realized that by spending more time than we normally would on our own, we all recognized the value of looking at the world in my own voice.

A few days before "Write You A Song" was written, my daughter said to me — in a very emotional way — "Daddy, I don't have a song. You've never written me a song. Why don't I have a song?" And I tried to assure her, "Well, there's this song and there's that song." And she looked at me and she said, "No, daddy, those are not my songs."

It was a good challenge. A few days later, a friend of ours was coming through town, and we ended up writing that song. What's cool about it for me is I will never forget the significance of writing the song. In a way, it's like every single time you're living out the story of the song itself. And that's a really special, unique thing.

I hope when people listen to it, it inspires them to dive deep into their relationships, and to make memories that will last a lifetime.  It's important to hold on to the people around you love and care about, and to capture them in your heart and in your head, so that you'll never be lonely — as the song says.

What was the biggest surprise making the album? 

Isaac: It was as hard, if not harder, than I thought it would be, in certain ways. You're used to being able to lean on each other — "Zac will have some cool, clever lyric to throw in there." or, "I can't wait to hear that drumbeat" — and maybe that will drive the inspiration of the song.

We didn't really have those things in the same way. I said, "This is a songwriter exercise for me. It's a deep dive into my heart and head because I'm not going to play a guitar riff and have Zac just jamming it out."

Zac: I was very pleasantly surprised with how well the songs seemed to work together despite how separately the songs were made and recorded. I didn't know what songs you guys were choosing and you didn't know what songs I was choosing. Though it is not one contiguous thought, it does have a certain arc to it. And it does have a certain kinship to the messages and the lyrics and the way they talk about the world.

I think though it's a very different Hanson record, in the end — even though it's three solo projects — it fits into one Hanson story.

In your 30 years as a band, you've had a very tight-knit connection with fans. What does it mean to have that kind of connection? 

Isaac: The best thing about playing shows night after night for an audience that has been with you that long is, strangely enough, it feels very fresh. It feels very honest and real. And I think this tour will probably feel even more that way, because when you're singing old songs and new songs right next to each other, they're kind of like the RED GREEN BLUE album —  they feel very connected in all the right ways. I want people to hear these songs and find who they are, and then chase the best version of that for the rest of their lives every day.

Zac: When you start a band —  in our case, at least — your goal is not to become famous or to have people adore you. You are hoping to have an impact on people — and the kind of longevity to where a grandma can listen with her granddaughter.

When you are able to look at fans and know that people have been sharing experiences with you for decades, It means that you did it. It means that you were able to touch people in a personal way. You don't know them personally, but you've impacted them in a way that has caused them to continue to enjoy those stories year after year — and now multiple decades later.

It's a deep combination of gratifying and rejuvenating. It makes you want to do it again. It makes you feel that the efforts, all those little challenges and big struggles along the way, were worthy of that effort.

Taylor: I feel just a great amount of gratitude, because we understand what it is to be a fan and to love something. Music hits people, and it does become personal. To be able to be on the side not of the creator that has been able to connect with others and become a part of their lives, it's a real honor.

It just blows my mind that we've gotten to be one of the artists that have continued to do that sort of past our expiration date. The community side is something we've seen a huge amount in our time as a band, and we've tried to embrace that. The music community is as important as just what you're making — connecting people to each other.

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Updated Friday Oct. 13, 2023 to include info about Kendrick Lamar's most recent GRAMMY wins, as of the 2023 GRAMMYs.

A GRAMMY veteran these days, Kendrick Lamar has won 17 GRAMMYs and has received 47 GRAMMY nominations overall. A sizable chunk of his trophies came from the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards in 2016, when he walked away with five — including his first-ever win in the Best Rap Album category.

This installment of GRAMMY Rewind turns back the clock to 2016, revisiting Lamar's acceptance speech upon winning Best Rap Album for To Pimp A Butterfly. Though Lamar was alone on stage, he made it clear that he wouldn't be at the top of his game without the help of a broad support system. 

"First off, all glory to God, that's for sure," he said, kicking off a speech that went on to thank his parents, who he described as his "those who gave me the responsibility of knowing, of accepting the good with the bad."

Looking for more GRAMMYs news? The 2024 GRAMMY nominations are here!

He also extended his love and gratitude to his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and shouted out his Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates. Lamar specifically praised Top Dawg's CEO, Anthony Tiffith, for finding and developing raw talent that might not otherwise get the chance to pursue their musical dreams.

"We'd never forget that: Taking these kids out of the projects, out of Compton, and putting them right here on this stage, to be the best that they can be," Lamar — a Compton native himself — continued, leading into an impassioned conclusion spotlighting some of the cornerstone rap albums that came before To Pimp a Butterfly.

"Hip-hop. Ice Cube. This is for hip-hop," he said. "This is for Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle. This is for Illmatic, this is for Nas. We will live forever. Believe that."

To Pimp a Butterfly singles "Alright" and "These Walls" earned Lamar three more GRAMMYs that night, the former winning Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and the latter taking Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (the song features Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat). He also won Best Music Video for the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood." 

Lamar has since won Best Rap Album two more times, taking home the golden gramophone in 2018 for his blockbuster LP DAMN., and in 2023 for his bold fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Watch Lamar's full acceptance speech above, and check back at GRAMMY.com every Friday for more GRAMMY Rewind episodes. 

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Updated Monday, May 22, to include information about the re-air date for "A GRAMMY Salute To The Beach Boys."

"A GRAMMY Salute To The Beach Boys" will re-air on Monday, May 29, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network, and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

After six decades of game-changing innovation and culture-shifting hits, the Beach Boys stand tall as one of the most legendary and influential American bands of all time.

Now, the iconic band will be honored by the Recording Academy and CBS with a star-studded "Beach Boys party" for the ages: "A GRAMMY Salute To The Beach Boys," a two-hour tribute special featuring a lineup of heavy hitters, including John Legend, Brandi Carlile, Beck, Fall Out Boy, Mumford & Sons, LeAnn Rimes, St. Vincent, Weezer, and many more, who will perform all your favorite Beach Boys classics.

Wondering when, where and how to watch "A GRAMMY Salute To The Beach Boys"? Here's everything you need to know.

When & Where Will The Special Air?

"A GRAMMY Salute To The Beach Boys" will air on Monday, May 29, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network, and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.* A one-hour version of the tribute will air on MTV at a future date to be announced.

Who Will Perform, And What Will They Perform?

The following is a list of artists and performances featured on "A GRAMMY Salute To The Beach Boys":

• Andy Grammer performing "Darlin'"

• Beck performing "Sloop John B"

• Beck & Jim James performing"Good Vibrations"

• Brandi Carlile performing "In My Room"

• Brandi Carlile & John Legend performing "God Only Knows"

• Charlie Puth performing "Wouldn't It Be Nice"

• Fall Out Boy performing "Do You Wanna Dance"

• Foster The People performing "Do It Again"

• Hanson performing "Barbara Ann"

• Norah Jones performing"The Warmth of the Sun"

• Lady A performing "Surfer Girl"

• John Legend performing "Sail on Sailor"

• Little Big Town performing "Help Me Rhonda"

• Luke Spiller & Taylor Momsen performing "Surfin' USA / Fun Fun Fun"

• Michael McDonald & Take 6 performing "Don't Worry Baby"

• Mumford & Sons performing "I Know There's an Answer"

• My Morning Jacket performing "I Get Around"

• Pentatonix performing "Heroes and Villains"

• LeAnn Rimes performing "Caroline No"

• St. Vincent performing "You Still Believe in Me"

• Weezer performing "California Girls" 

Read More: 5 Memorable Highlights From "A GRAMMY Salute To The Beach Boys": Weezer, St. Vincent, John Legend & More

Who Are The Special Guests & Presenters?

In addition to the musical performances, the special features appearances by Drew Carey, Tom Hanks, Jimmy Jam, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, John Stamos, and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr.

Beach Boys core members Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks are featured guests.

What's The Context For The Special?

Filmed at the iconic Dolby Theater in Los Angeles after the 2023 GRAMMYs, "A GRAMMY Salute To The Beach Boys" airs during the year-long celebration of the Beach Boys' 60th anniversary. Counting more than 100 million records sold worldwide and recipients of the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Beach Boys are one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful bands of all time, and their music has been an indelible part of American history for more than six decades.

Keep an eye on GRAMMY.com for more exclusive content leading up to "A GRAMMY Salute To The Beach Boys."

*Paramount+ Premium subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service as well as on-demand. Essential tier subscribers will have access to the on-demand the following day after the episode airs.

Watch backstage interviews & exclusive content from "A GRAMMY Salute To The Beach Boys”

Updated Saturday, April 9, to include air date information about "A GRAMMY Salute To The Beach Boys."

"A GRAMMY Salute To The Beach Boys" airs on Sunday, April 9, from 8 – 10 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network, and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. A one-hour version of the tribute will air on MTV at a future date to be announced.

A few days after the 2023 GRAMMYs, the Recording Academy, along with Tenth Planet Productions and CBS, will present A GRAMMY Salute to the Beach Boys, a special tribute concert honoring the legendary, GRAMMY-nominated music icons, the Beach Boys. Taking place Wednesday, Feb. 8, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, the live concert special will feature a star-studded performer lineup that includes GRAMMY-winning artists and past and current GRAMMY nominees including Beck, Brandi Carlile, Fall Out Boy, Andy Grammer, Hanson, Norah Jones, Lady A, John Legend, Little Big Town, Michael McDonald, Mumford & Sons, My Morning Jacket, Pentatonix, Charlie Puth, LeAnn Rimes, St. Vincent, Take 6, and Weezer, who will all celebrate and honor the Beach Boys’ everlasting music and impactful career.

Tickets for A GRAMMY Salute to the Beach Boys are available now.

WHEN:

Concert:
Wednesday, Feb. 8
Doors: 5:30 p.m. PT
Concert: 6:30 p.m. PT

WHERE: 
Dolby Theatre
6801 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028

Take A Look Back At The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds | For The Record

It's rare that a genre can be traced back to a single artist or group, but for funk, that was James Brown. The Godfather of Soul coined the phrase and style of playing known as "on the one," where the first downbeat is emphasized, instead of the typical second and fourth beats in pop, soul and other styles. As David Cheal eloquently explains, playing on the one "left space for phrases and riffs, often syncopated around the beat, creating an intricate, interlocking grid which could go on and on." You know a funky bassline when you hear it; its fat chords beg your body to get up and groove.

Brown's 1965 classic, "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," became one of the first funk hits, and has been endlessly sampled and covered over the years, along with his other groovy tracks. Of course, many other funk acts followed in the '60s, and the genre thrived in the '70s and '80s as the disco craze came and went, and the originators of hip-hop and house music created new music from funk and disco's strong, flexible bones built for dancing.

Legendary funk bassist Bootsy Collins learned the power of the one from playing in Brown's band, and brought it to George Clinton, who created P-funk, an expansive, Afrofuturistic, psychedelic exploration of funk with his various bands and projects, including Parliament-Funkadelic. Both Collins and Clinton remain active and funkin', and have offered their timeless grooves to collabs with younger artists, including Kali Uchis, Silk Sonic, and Omar Apollo; and Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, and Thundercat, respectively.

In the 1980s, electro-funk was born when artists like Afrika Bambaataa, Man Parrish, and Egyptian Lover began making futuristic beats with the Roland TR-808 drum machine — often with robotic vocals distorted through a talk box. A key distinguishing factor of electro-funk is a de-emphasis on vocals, with more phrases than choruses and verses. The sound influenced contemporaneous hip-hop, funk and electronica, along with acts around the globe, while current acts like Chromeo, DJ Stingray, and even Egyptian Lover himself keep electro-funk alive and well.

Today, funk lives in many places, with its heavy bass and syncopated grooves finding way into many nooks and crannies of music. There's nu-disco and boogie funk, nodding back to disco bands with soaring vocals and dance floor-designed instrumentation. G-funk continues to influence Los Angeles hip-hop, with innovative artists like Dam-Funk and Channel Tres bringing the funk and G-funk, into electro territory. Funk and disco-centered '70s revival is definitely having a moment, with acts like Ghost Funk Orchestra and Parcels, while its sparkly sprinklings can be heard in pop from Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, and, in full "Soul Train" character, Silk Sonic. There are also acts making dreamy, atmospheric music with a solid dose of funk, such as Khruangbin’s global sonic collage.

There are many bands that play heavily with funk, creating lush grooves designed to get you moving. Read on for a taste of five current modern funk and nu-disco artists making band-led uptempo funk built for the dance floor. Be sure to press play on the Spotify playlist above, and check out GRAMMY.com's playlist on Apple Music, Amazon Music and Pandora.

Say She She

Aptly self-described as "discodelic soul," Brooklyn-based seven-piece Say She She make dreamy, operatic funk, led by singer-songwriters Nya Gazelle Brown, Piya Malik and Sabrina Mileo Cunningham. Their '70s girl group-inspired vocal harmonies echo, sooth and enchant as they cover poignant topics with feminist flair.

While they’ve been active in the New York scene for a few years, they’ve gained wider acclaim for the irresistible music they began releasing this year, including their debut album, Prism. Their 2022 debut single "Forget Me Not" is an ode to ground-breaking New York art collective Guerilla Girls, and "Norma" is their protest anthem in response to the news that Roe vs. Wade could be (and was) overturned. The band name is a nod to funk legend Nile Rodgers, from the "Le freak, c'est chi" exclamation in Chic's legendary tune "Le Freak."

Moniquea

Moniquea's unique voice oozes confidence, yet invites you in to dance with her to the super funky boogie rhythms. The Pasadena, California artist was raised on funk music; her mom was in a cover band that would play classics like Aretha Franklin’s "Get It Right" and Gladys Knight’s "Love Overboard." Moniquea released her first boogie funk track at 20 and, in 2011, met local producer XL Middelton — a bonafide purveyor of funk. She's been a star artist on his MoFunk Records ever since, and they've collabed on countless tracks, channeling West Coast energy with a heavy dose of G-funk, sunny lyrics and upbeat, roller disco-ready rhythms.

Her latest release is an upbeat nod to classic West Coast funk, produced by Middleton, and follows her February 2022 groovy, collab-filled album, On Repeat.

Shiro Schwarz

Shiro Schwarz is a Mexico City-based duo, consisting of Pammela Rojas and Rafael Marfil, who helped establish a modern funk scene in the richly creative Mexican metropolis. On "Electrify" — originally released in 2016 on Fat Beats Records and reissued in 2021 by MoFunk — Shiro Schwarz's vocals playfully contrast each other, floating over an insistent, upbeat bassline and an '80s throwback electro-funk rhythm with synth flourishes.

Their music manages to be both nostalgic and futuristic — and impossible to sit still to. 2021 single "Be Kind" is sweet, mellow and groovy, perfect chic lounge funk. Shiro Schwarz’s latest track, the joyfully nostalgic "Hey DJ," is a collab with funkstress Saucy Lady and U-Key.

L'Impératrice

L'Impératrice (the empress in French) are a six-piece Parisian group serving an infectiously joyful blend of French pop, nu-disco, funk and psychedelia. Flore Benguigui's vocals are light and dreamy, yet commanding of your attention, while lyrics have a feminist touch.

During their energetic live sets, L'Impératrice members Charles de Boisseguin and Hagni Gwon (keys), David Gaugué (bass), Achille Trocellier (guitar), and Tom Daveau (drums) deliver extended instrumental jam sessions to expand and connect their music. Gaugué emphasizes the thick funky bass, and Benguigui jumps around the stage while sounding like an angel. L’Impératrice’s latest album, 2021’s Tako Tsubo, is a sunny, playful French disco journey.

Franc Moody

Franc Moody's bio fittingly describes their music as "a soul funk and cosmic disco sound." The London outfit was birthed by friends Ned Franc and Jon Moody in the early 2010s, when they were living together and throwing parties in North London's warehouse scene. In 2017, the group grew to six members, including singer and multi-instrumentalist Amber-Simone.

Their music feels at home with other electro-pop bands like fellow Londoners Jungle and Aussie act Parcels. While much of it is upbeat and euphoric, Franc Moody also dips into the more chilled, dreamy realm, such as the vibey, sultry title track from their recently released Into the Ether.

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