Foreigner, a heavy-hitter in pop rock, projects a hard exterior, but the band has demonstrated a soft side, too. That rep is part perception, part commerce.

"Foreigner is known for rock, but it had a slew of power ballad hits," said lead singer Kelly Hansen, who joined the ranks in 2005. A frequent Island visitor, he'll make his first Hawai'i appearance with Foreigner when the band provides its rock-solid vibes for a New Year's Eve audience at the Hawaii Grand Ballroom of the Sheraton Waikiki hotel.

Hansen, 47, whose career has included heavy metal, hard rock and glam metal with indie groups such as Unruly Child and Hurricane, grew up with the band — as an outsider.

Foreigner is known for a stable of hits of Top 10 and Top 20 status, including "Feels Like the First Time" "Cold as Ice," "Urgent" and "Hot Blooded." Their smashes also include such power rockaballads as "I Want To Know What Love Is" and "Waiting for a Girl Like You," causing some cynics to think Foreigner was turning soft, forsaking its gutsy rock posture.

"The ballad thing evolved because there was a succession of ballad hits," said Hansen, that was coincidental, not intentional. "The band still rocks."

"I know and appreciate the band and its music; so coming into the group, as a male tenor rock singer, it was important not to be anybody else than who I am," he said.

"I had lots of discussions with Mick Jones (Foreigner's stalwart Brit founder, guitarist, producer and principal songwriter) and he had the same mindset of how we'd do the live shows. I like to go into the show and perform the music the way I remember hearing the songs on the radio. So that's been important to us — to Mick, to everyone in the band."

Lately, it's been a season of tweaking and recording after several years of constant touring.

"It's been a pretty busy last four years," Hansen said. "In the last 3 1/2 years, we've done 411 shows in 35 countries on five continents. We're not really on tour now, but we do have frequent shows in the U.S. We've been taking a break, working on new material."

Interestingly, AARP, the nonprofit organization for those 50 and older, has been supporting Foreigner in many concert dates this year.

"AARP came to us, working with us closely, on reaching a younger demographic," said Hansen. "We've had some (AARP) promotions."

While he's not yet quite "senior" because he's still under 50, Hansen said a couple of members already are part of the AARP generation. An ongoing air guitar contest, conducted online, has resulted in a winner who will fly to Hawai'i as part of the prize to be recognized and honored at Foreigner's New Year's Eve show. "The winner gets an exclusive limited-edition Mick Jones Senior Gibson Les Paul guitar," Hansen said.

"That's one of the many perks with them," he said of AARP. "They open up their audience and they know how to have great fun. They're good people."

Earlier this year, "No End in Sight: The Very Best of Foreigner," an anthology of the aformentioned greatest hits, was released along with some live concert tracks; and a new studio cut, "Too Late," was released as a single. The CD puts into perspective the breadth of Foreigner's past.

Because of its longevity, dating back to the mid-1970s, Foreigner has a nostalgic veneer, its old music revived in pop culture elements ranging from the "Grand Theft Auto" video game to films such as "Epic Movie" and "American Pie Presents: Band Camp."

It has not been a foreigner to wannabes, either.

"When I joined Hurricane, I had fantasies of one day being in a rock band, but never imagined it would be Foreigner," said Hansen.

"I feel fortunate, particularly now. In the past, many rock bands had the (reputation) of, you know, sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. That might have been true in another era, but certainly not now. We're out on the road doing something artistic; our climate is open and honest. Our audience is quite wide, spanning all ages. I've seen 10-year-olds who know all the words to our songs, and I see guys with rings through their lips with black fingernails, who were with us from way back. We get them all."

He cares about his band and his livelihood. "Perhaps if you get someone young, he may not dignify the situation," said Hansen. "I try to dignify the situation in a rock 'n' roll kind of way."

The band will have a few days of R&R before the eve, but ships out New Year's Day.

"Me? I want to lay in the sun and have a mai tai. I may go skydiving, scuba diving, ride a Harley," said Hansen.

And, in three years when he's eligible, "I hope to get my AARP card."