So, yeah, I’m still here. Apparently some people thought otherwise, which is fair. Over the past few years I have taken more and more steps away from the Hanson fandom, for reasons unrelated to hansongate. I won’t defend my decision to sort of stay, but I will say that I’ve always been a proponent of choosing how you engage with a fandom for your own mental health and have also always said that while there are a million wrong ways to do a fandom, there’s not one single right way. You choose what’s right for you and no one else.
But that’s not what this post is about. It’s about that other thing.
I honestly think The Masked Singer is a fucking fantastic move for the guys, and I can’t keep that to myself. Plenty of fans have pointed out that it’s a great way to get in front of a big audience before releasing new music, but it’s so much more than that.
The fans have recognized their voices easily, but the general public? They don’t know these adult voices. Getting in front of a massive audience without the Hanson stigma, which is so real and has only gotten worse in the past year, is a great way to get really, truly heard. Take my mom for example. Despite Hanson’s music being practically tailor made for her tastes, she has always despised it. She and I watch The Masked Singer and text each other our guesses through each episode. So I called her as soon as I found out Hanson were on it, and despite the fact that she had seen the Russian Dolls, she did not put two and two together and realize that’s who I meant.
“But the Russian Dolls sounded so fantastic!”
Yeah, I know. I’ve been trying to tell you since I was 10.
Like the promo says, the guys are full of themselves. To a fault. But even the best performers will struggle to be heard (without passing out) underneath those big costumes, and still put on a compelling performance when you can’t really be seen or hide behind your instruments. They’ll need the choreographers, vocal coaches, and more than that the show provides. Whether they’ll actually learn anything they carry forward and use afterward… well, I won’t hold my breath.
And, okay, maybe they don’t deserve a chance to rehab their image. But that is something this sort of show is known for so I don’t think it’s a coincidence they are appearing on it. I don’t expect a bigger or better apology than we’ve already gotten, but I do think they see this as a way to just let the music speak without all the drama getting in the way. So, that’s a thing, whether you agree with it or not. Like everything else, time will tell how well it has worked.
Anyway, I just really enjoy this theatrical, campy fever dream of a show, so I’m not going to complain about my problematic faves being on it *shrug emoji*
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