Country Singer Hunter Hayes Looks Nearly Unrecognizable Now

Hunter Hayes looks very different since making his debut on the country music scene.

Back in 2011, the beloved talent captured the hearts of millions when he burst into the music industry with singles like "Storm Warning" and "Wanted." With his dreamy boy-next-door looks and swoon-worthy vocals, it didn't take long for the beloved talent to achieve massive amounts of success, including five Grammy nominations and opening up for Taylor Swift. He also became the youngest male act to ever top the Billboard Country Songs chart. 

When reflecting on his success and keeping the momentum, Hayes explained to the Santa Barbara Independent in 2019, "It's less about celebrating the big milestones and more just like, 'Okay, great. As long as that means I can keep doing this, we're good,' and I'm moving on to the next thing." He added, "I've found that I need to work less on moving on and more on enjoying where I'm at." In 2023, after a two-year hiatus, the "One Shot" singer made his grand return to the industry with a new album and a more mature look.

In April 2023, Hunter Hayes released his ninth studio album, "Red Sky," after taking nearly two years off from the industry. While the beloved talent's comeback featured new music, it also featured him shedding his baby-faced look for a more mature image and set of views. When discussing the creation of the "Red Sky" with "New York Live," the "Wanted" singer revealed that he obtained a greater sense of self. "This is my first independent album, and what that means is not just ownership of your masters but ownership of my voice," he explained. "I really wanted [Red Sky] to be a fresh start."

In an additional interview with "The Music Universe," Hayes gave further insight into his new status as an independent artist and how it's changed his music and personal trajectory. "My experience now is there's so much room for me to trust my intuition," he said. "And there is so much more room for me to trust the relationships that I have with fans."

Since 2021, Hunter Hayes has slowly opened up about his personal and professional growth. In May 2021, the beloved talent gave insight into how taking charge of his mental health and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic helped him become a more authentic artist. "I mean, I know for me what the past sort of year was, not just exclusively because of the pandemic, but also because of big life changes," he explained to ET. "And, I think it invited me to share more of my story, share more of the things I worked through."

Hayes echoed similar sentiments in a July 2023 interview with Wondermind, revealing that the most challenging thing he had to overcome was how he viewed his self-worth. "The biggest thing for me to overcome was the internal beliefs and stories I made up about my worth," he said. "In the context of, I would write over a hundred songs a year and I would turn them in to one specific person and they weren't someone who would find a lot of the music that I make super valuable." He also gave insight into how he takes care of his mental health, including buying himself a car or taking his scooter out to get out of the house. "Other things [I use] for self-care are acupuncture, sensory deprivation tanks, and Legos," he added.