Side-By-Side Photos Of Keith Urban's Transformation Are Wild To See

Keith Urban has gone through an amazing transformation over his decades in the music industry, both personally and professionally. The Australian country music star started his career in the early '90s when he released his debut self-titled album in his home country in 1991. It would be nearly a decade before he released his first album in the U.S., another self-titled album released in 1999. He recorded an album with a band in between those two albums, but his first U.S. album launched his journey into superstardom with hits like "But for the Grace of God," "It's a Love Thing," and "Your Everything." It was certified platinum in 2003. Throughout his career, the "You'll Think of Me" singer has released 12 solo albums, won four Grammys and had 19 nominations, and had nine consecutive gold, platinum, or multi-platinum albums as of 2025, per CAA.

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Since his debut, Urban has obviously changed physically, although side-by-side photos of the singer at the CMAs in the early 2000s and 2025 show that the transformation in his appearance is really just many subtle upgrades that come together to make a huge difference. First, although the photo on the left was taken in the early naughties, Urban's black striped suit and shiny pink shirt make him look stuck in the '70s disco era, and his haircut doesn't help. There are signs of aging (like fine wine, for the record) in his face in 2025, but the most obvious difference is the subtle scruff added to his signature soul patch. His toned physique and arms full of tattoos in 2025 also help modernize his look and highlight his physical changes.

Keith Urban has gone through many changes in his personal life, as well, including hsi split from his estranged wife, Nicole Kidman, to whom he was married for 19 years. The breakup was reportedly one-sided, with sources telling People that Kidman wanted to save her marriage, but Urban wanted to end it. He's also exhibited other strange behavior since, like changing lyrics to hit songs (including some that were written for Kidman). Patriot News and other sources also reported that in January 2025, months before his split with his wife, Urban fired some longtime band members who had been playing with him for over 25 years.

His behavior suggested some kind of midlife crisis, but Urban is no stranger to dealing with personal struggles. He has a history of addiction and went to rehab for drug and alcohol abuse in 1998 and 2006, nearly four months into his marriage to the "Big Little Lies" star. Urban has been sober ever since his last visit to rehab, and explained to Zane Lowe for Apple Music what made him seek help for his addiction in 2006 and stay clean. "All through the years of drinking and doing drugs and all the rest of it, I always had this very specific voice inside of me that goes, 'One day, you're gonna come to a crossroads or a fork in the road, and it'll be the final one,'" the "Straight Line" singer said. He added hat the time came when Kidman called an intervention early in their marriage, and he reaffirmed that he came to the U.S. for his career, not to get lost in addiction.