Hanson Music Group

Of all the musicians hoping to win statuettes at tonight's Grammy Awards, none could be more excited than the three brothers in the pop group Hanson, whose deliriously catchy first single, "MMMBop," is a contender for record of the year. And none could be less likely to get liquor service at the after-show parties.

Hanson is a real boy band--and if that sounds like an insult, then you're starting to understand the challenge facing the pop trio as it mounts a comeback from "Middle of Nowhere." In 1997, the three Hanson brothers of Oklahoma were at the forefront of a wave of youth pop that reshaped the music industry.

Hanson is a real boy band--and if that sounds like an insult, then you're starting to understand the challenge facing the pop trio as it mounts a comeback from "Middle of Nowhere." In 1997, the three Hanson brothers of Oklahoma were at the forefront of a wave of youth pop that reshaped the music industry.

The lowdown on some of the class of the idol rich: * Backstreet Boys: The studly quintet is up for a best new artist Grammy and is the 1990s New Kids on the Block--except this group can really sing. The look: Suburban kids wear urban clothes and strike dour poses. The sound: R&B lite. The bottom line: Their debut album was the third-best seller of 1998, and the follow-up is due in April.

What does it tell us about the state of pop music when the best single of the year so far was co-written by an 11-year-old? Should we look at the dizzy popularity and charm of Hanson's "MMMBop" as an encouraging sign that a new generation of tunesmiths is on the way? Or is the ease with which Hanson swept away the competition a sign that our veteran acts have run out of steam?

So here we are hyperventilating at the Hollywood Bowl, site of so much hyperventilation in the past. Great concerts. Historic albums. And now Hanson, those titans of teen music. Pop culture in its first trimester. "I can't believe we're actually here," says Erica Perez, 9, breathless in the back row on Sunday. "This is so awesome." Here's what I know about Hanson: There's three of them. They are brothers. One is about 4 years old.

Although some of the estimated 1,500 people gathered at the Sam Goody record store at Universal CityWalk on Saturday screamed out affections such as "We love you, Isaac!" or "We love you, Taylor!" most of the fans of the trio Hanson just chose to scream. Eardrum-piercing, glass-shattering, banshees-have-nothing-on-us screams. The fans, primarily teenage girls, screamed when they glimpsed members of the adolescent trio waving from the balconies.

The lowdown on some of the class of the idol rich: * Backstreet Boys: The studly quintet is up for a best new artist Grammy and is the 1990s New Kids on the Block--except this group can really sing. The look: Suburban kids wear urban clothes and strike dour poses. The sound: R&B lite. The bottom line: Their debut album was the third-best seller of 1998, and the follow-up is due in April.

So here we are hyperventilating at the Hollywood Bowl, site of so much hyperventilation in the past. Great concerts. Historic albums. And now Hanson, those titans of teen music. Pop culture in its first trimester. "I can't believe we're actually here," says Erica Perez, 9, breathless in the back row on Sunday. "This is so awesome." Here's what I know about Hanson: There's three of them. They are brothers. One is about 4 years old.

Of all the musicians hoping to win statuettes at tonight's Grammy Awards, none could be more excited than the three brothers in the pop group Hanson, whose deliriously catchy first single, "MMMBop," is a contender for record of the year. And none could be less likely to get liquor service at the after-show parties.

What does it tell us about the state of pop music when the best single of the year so far was co-written by an 11-year-old? Should we look at the dizzy popularity and charm of Hanson's "MMMBop" as an encouraging sign that a new generation of tunesmiths is on the way? Or is the ease with which Hanson swept away the competition a sign that our veteran acts have run out of steam?

Although some of the estimated 1,500 people gathered at the Sam Goody record store at Universal CityWalk on Saturday screamed out affections such as "We love you, Isaac!" or "We love you, Taylor!" most of the fans of the trio Hanson just chose to scream. Eardrum-piercing, glass-shattering, banshees-have-nothing-on-us screams. The fans, primarily teenage girls, screamed when they glimpsed members of the adolescent trio waving from the balconies.