Tomorrow night, Keith Urban will perform at the 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards. And, just like his red-carpet appearances, there is one detail in his performances that we can’t help but notice. Among his many achievements, like being married to Nicole Kidman for over a decade (and by all appearances, happily married), we’d be remiss if we didn’t celebrate another milestone — one that goes back a hell of a lot further than 15 years. Guys, Keith Urban has had the exact same flat-ironed, highlighted, soccer-mom haircut for at least 30 years.
He has committed to this hair, and while it’s not unusual for a man to just stick to one hairstyle for his whole life, it’s rarely this hairstyle. You see, Keith Urban hasn’t committed to a shaved head or a basic brush cut. He’s committed to a sultry, provocative, some might say slightly feminine hairstyle, and he’s done so for decades. Decades! 
Related story Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban Were The Cutest Couple at the SAG Awards — & These Photos Prove It
And while we’ll readily admit to feeling bewildered by the style itself, I love that he’s embraced it so wholeheartedly. I love the fact that Keith Urban has decided that this is him. His best self. I’ll be honest with you; I don’t know if I’ll ever feel the confidence that Keith Urban feels while strutting around with sassy suburban mom hair. That’s something worth celebrating. How? Why by cataloging the evolution of the hair, of course.
Behold, exhibit A:
Yes, friends. That’s a fresh young 16-year-old Keith Urban crooning away on an Australian TV show. Related story Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban Were The Cutest Couple at the SAG Awards — & These Photos Prove It
And look at it. It’s beyond debate. That is the exact same hairstyle Keith Urban rocks to this day.
Don’t believe me? Here. Exhibit B:
Keith Urban in 2005 still singing, still rocking his signature hairstyle. He’s lost the bangs and gone for some highlights, but otherwise, the look remains unchanged.
Oh, what’s this? Exhibit C:
Keith Urban, a week before he and Kidman got married. The mullet is less obvious. It’s now more of a slow taper from front to back, but still. Still. Kidman knows she’s found a keeper because he has stayed faithful to a goddamned haircut for, like, 15 years already. She knows he ain’t the cheating kind.
Exhibit D:
It’s 2008. Stock markets are crashing. The world is panicking. But not our boy Keith Urban. I’m going to presume that Urban has discovered the round brush, and thus, he’s begun to style the front parts of his hair into smooth brackets bordering his face. This serves to emphasize the graceful flipping up of the back area of his hair, also courtesy of the round brush. It’s a whole new world.
On to exhibit E:
Here we are in 2010. And there’s the hair. Virtually unchanged. He’s abandoned the round brush for an edgy, flat-ironed look and updated things with some jazzy new highlights, sure. But the essence of the hair — the middle-parted, house-shaped, mullet-but-not-quite-mullet essence lives on.
Are we done? Not even close. Look at exhibits F and G:
It’s 2012. Urban and Kidman have been married for six years. “How’s my hair, babe?” he whispers. “F**k your hair, Keith,” she hisses back in her lovely Australian accent.
On to 2013. I’ve always appreciated that Urban is confident enough not to let the height difference between himself and Kidman bother him — she always wears heels and never has to do any weird, Katie Holmes-esque slouching beside him. But in saying that, let’s also admit that Keith will never let Nicole have nicer hair. Look at his face. So petty. So pretty. So satisfied.
But wait. What’s this?
Keith! What the hell! Where is the flip?! Who did this to you?! It’s clear that 2014 will be the worst year of Keith Urban’s life. He has cut off his mullet, the source of his power. Look at his face. He knows he’s made a terrible, terrible mistake. Let’s not ever discuss 2014 Keith Urban ever again.
And finally, exhibits H and I:
It’s 2016, and Trump’s been elected president, but Urban doesn’t skip a beat. He just hits that straight iron and hits it hard.
It’s 2023.
“Nicole?” Keith whispers.
“Yes, Keith?”
“I have three earrings now. Also, my hair is still better than yours”
“I know, darling. Sshh. I know.”
A version of this story was originally published in 2017.
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