Taylor Hanson is no longer the young boy who sang “MMMBop”; he has matured and forged a new path in his music career.
Variety reports that the 40-year-old musician founded The Voices Project in support of Iranians.
Hason remarked:
“The idea for The Voices Project was born as a touchpoint, a gateway to connect with the issues [in Iran] in a different way. My hope is it becomes octane towards unifying this overall movement.”
One of the project’s goals is to rework a famous song titled “Baraye” by Shervin Hajipour.
The song is known for calling for change and movement, which seems very fitting for their cause in support of the non-profit organization For Women Life Freedom.
The musician said:
“This cause broke my heart. My whole life, I don’t think I’ve been able to ask myself if I see any difference between the Iranian government and the Iranian people; The government [of Iran] has been seen as very much not a friend to our nation. But the people [of Iran] are the ones being oppressed.”
An intriguing fact about the project is that it was recorded in Los Angeles’ Henson Studios—the same studio where USA For Africa came together to record the world-famous song “We Are The World” in 1985.
Hanson and Hamid Saeidi, a member of the Iranian-American band Opium, will produce the song. Several other award-winning musicians from the field will join them.
By launching this project and collaborating with the non-profit organization, Hanson demonstrated his love for music and the movement.
He continued:
“My thinking was, ‘What way can this movement breakthrough?’ Music might have a real role to play here.”
”Music is always powerful. This recording event at Henson helps communicate, ‘You need to see what’s going on in Iran. This is something we can’t ignore. This is something we need to advocate for’.”
While achieving great success as a child, Hanson kept a low profile during his adolescence and early adulthood.
It’s also worth noting that, despite no longer being a household name in the industry, Hanson is still producing, recording, and releasing music. He is said to be worth $20 million.
He dabbled in music over the years, co-founding 3CG Records with his brothers and being a member of the band Tinted Windows.