Taylor Hanson confessed his brothers were surprised to hear he would be competing on Dancing With the Stars season 35.
“My brothers were pretty shocked that I would consider honestly putting myself on the dance floor,” Hanson, 43, exclusively told Us on Wednesday, September 2, following the official DWTS cast announcement. “But everybody’s supportive. Everybody’s excited.”
Taylor added that while his family is happy for him, he is also “excited” to be part of the DWTS family.
Taylor formed the music group Hanson alongside brothers Isaac Hanson and Zac Hanson in 1992. The boy band is best known for their 1997 hit “MMMBop” which is nearly three decades old.
“It’s a song I’m proud of. It’s a song I wrote that was nominated for [the] Grammys. I mean, I have never been shied away from embracing where I’ve been,” he said of the iconic tune. “And honestly, that song talks about things that matter, things that stand the test of time. That’s all I’ve ever done is try and do things. I hope I actually look back and go, ‘I’m so proud of that.’”
While Taylor is best known for being on stage with a microphone, he’s ready to start a “new season of doing different things.”
“We are here to have a great time. I have a great teacher,” Taylor said, referring to his partner, Britt Stewart. “There’s really no loss in this for me. Every day we’re doing [this] it’s a win.”
Taylor shared that he “absolutely” wants to go “all the way” to win the Len Goodman mirrorball trophy. However, he thinks that “learning to dance” will be his “biggest competition.”
“I’m here to leave it all on the dance floor,” he said. “So my only competition is the challenge of being excellent.”
Taylor shared that he and Stewart have yet to pick their official team name. The musician told Us that he would “love to involve the fans” in the creative process for brainstorming their team name.
“They always come up with some amazing, creative team name. So it’s still forming,” he teased to Us. “It’s still in the works.”
In addition to trying something new in the ballroom, Taylor teased to Us he’s working on something special.
“This is kind of the beginning of a new journey. I’m working on stuff that I’ve never, never done before: solo music,” he said.
Dancing With the Stars premieres on ABC and Disney+ with a two-night event beginning Tuesday, September 15, at 8 p.m. ET. New episodes will stream the next day on Hulu.
