Taylor Hanson on ‘Dancing With the Stars’: ‘This Is Very Personal’

Getting Taylor Hanson to smile should be easy. The Hanson frontman has spent nearly three decades projecting an easygoing, upbeat presence. But right now, in a spacious rehearsal room with scratched-up wood floors, an exposed ceiling, and smudgy mirrors running the length of one wall, he’s concentrating on his first dance for the new season of Dancing With the Stars, which is only two days away. His partner, six-time DWTS competitor Britt Stewart, speaks to him quietly, offering gentle direction and making tiny posture adjustments that instantly sharpen his moves.

They run through the quickstep routine a couple of times without music. The only sound is the squeak of their shoes on the boards. Then they press play on Billy Joel’s “Tell Her About It,” and they’re completely in sync as they alternate between fun, playful, and unexpectedly dramatic choreography. Hanson suggested the song for the theme of Number One hits from the year he was born, 1983, and Stewart conceived the dance from start to finish. By the time the music stops, their chests are heaving and they’re glistening with perspiration, but the newly coined “Brittay” are clearly pleased with how it went.

Hanson has a history with DWTS. Fifteen years ago, the band performed “MMMBop” on Season 12’s “Guilty Pleasures” episode, followed by “Give a Little” the next evening. Last year, Taylor brought his daughter, Penny, to a taping, sparking a conversation about becoming a contestant. None of which prepared him for the grueling physical toll of ballroom dancing.

“It really is an art form,” he says, swapping his brown suede boots for black practice shoes with a short heel. He’s wearing navy trousers with a scarf running through the belt loops and tied in a small knot, along with a navy and white polka-dot scarf around his neck. He’s embodying “Tay-lorrre,” the character Stewart came up with for him and shared with fans on social media.

“It’s very challenging,” he continues. “It puts you through the physical, mental, and emotional to learn something from scratch. It’s very much out of my comfort zone. I have lots and lots of experience on stages, but no real dance experience. In a way, I may have avoided dancing because I want to be seen as a musician, as an artist, to be behind the piano or a guitar. But this style of dancing really takes you back to Old Hollywood. I immediately think of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, the elegance and the romance.”

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In its 35th season, DWTS continues to evolve while retaining the particular mix of spectacle, competition, and camp that gives it a cross-generational appeal. The show draws top-level artists for musical guest performances, including Stevie Nicks, Adele, and the Go-Go’s, who have all left lasting impressions with their appearances. Hanson points out that it’s one of the few programs that brings families together on the couch.

Being on the contestant side, however, is uncharted territory for him. As a group, Hanson competed on The Masked Singer in 2021, but for DWTS he’s on his own and more exposed as a performer. Still, it’s not the competition that interests him as much as the experience.

“What you find really quickly is this is very personal,” he says of DWTS. “You meet, you have to figure out your dynamic and learn to trust each other. It’s like, ‘Hey, nice to meet you. Let’s write a song,’ which I’ve done many times. I’d say there’s a parallel there. You go straight to no barriers. We need to become buddies because we have to move together. That, to me, is really fascinating.

“I think that’s part of why people like watching the show: all these different people navigating dropping down their walls and creating this new art form.”
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Hanson, who’s 43, admits he wouldn’t have wanted to compete on DWTS in his twenties. Over the last decade, he’s developed a fitness regimen that includes sculling and surfing. Earlier this year, he started working with a trainer a few times a week, “just to have somebody else yell at me and be like, ‘How many sit-ups did you do?’”

Challenge is a great motivator for Hanson. “I’m interested in growing,” he says. “I’m on a path where the band needs to take a pause and leave room for different things. I’m doing some work as a solo artist. That’s a huge shift for me to even be in that headspace.” He adds, breaking into a smile, “To have [DWTS] right now, which is so different, is very cathartic for me.”