In the 2000s, he was one half of folk rock duo The Swell Season before releasing his debut solo album, Rhythm and Repose, in 2012.

Primarily a musician, he has also acted and written music for film; he appeared in the BAFTA-winning film The Commitments (1991) and starred in the Irish music drama Once (2007) which earned him a number of major awards, including the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Falling Slowly" with co-writer and co-star Markéta Irglová.

[citation needed] In 2003, he presented the television programme Other Voices: Songs from a Room, which showcased Irish music talent on RTÉ.

[3] On 22 April 2006, he released his first album without The Frames, The Swell Season, on Overcoat Recordings in collaboration with Czech singer and multi-instrumentalist Markéta Irglová, Marja Tuhkanen from Finland on violin and viola, and Bertrand Galen from France on cello.

[4] Aside from his projects with The Frames and Irglová, Hansard also took part as a member of the band on the 2006 Oxfam charity album, The Cake Sale.

Hansard has recorded several cover songs, both alone and with band member Colm Mac Con Iomaire, for the Today FM discs Even Better than the Real Thing.

[8] In September 2011, he played at Pearl Jam's 20th Anniversary Festival PJ20 at the Alpine Valley Theatre outside of East Troy, Wisconsin.

[9] In a November 2011 interview[10] in The Huffington Post with Irglova, it was revealed that Hansard was preparing a solo album and that there was a very possible third release from The Swell Season.

[citation needed] Hansard can be found singing "Come Away to the Water" on the deluxe edition of his first solo album Rhythm and Repose.

In the episode, "Trouble in Candyland", he performed "High Hope", a single from his solo debut album Rhythm and Repose.

[16] In October he recorded "Take Heart", featuring Marketa Irglova, Bono and Ukrainian refugees in response to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.

[17] In December 2023, Hansard performed a rendition of "Fairytale of New York" alongside Lisa O'Neill backed by The Pogues at Shane MacGowan's funeral service held in St Mary's of the Rosary Catholic Church, Nenagh, Co Tipperary, Ireland.