The Real Reason Tim McGraw Is Ditching His Signature Black Cowboy Hat

Hats off to Tim McGraw for recently going, well, hatless on the red carpet.

When the country music star attended the Beatles ’64 documentary premiere in New York City on Sunday, November 24, he was virtually unrecognizable without his ever-present chapeaux.

While some suggested that McGraw, 57, could have been trying out a dapper new look on a date night with his wife, Faith Hill, the real reason is much deeper than a fashion makeover.

As McGraw candidly revealed in the past, the purpose of the accessory is to cover his brow, which is a source of some insecurity.

“Of course the cowboy hat is who I am in my music, but I’ve never been real comfortable with the way I looked without a hat,” he previously told People. McGraw continued: “I have what I call a ‘fivehead.’ I don’t have a forehead, I have a ‘fivehead.’ I always felt I had a really big head.”

Although the singer usually steps on the stage with his go-to black straw cowboy hat, he also has been known to rock classic baseball caps, knit beanies and newsboy style tweed hats. In fact, the “Live Like You Were Dying” singer had been inducted into the Headwear Hall of Fame thanks to his hats being part of his “signature style.”

Over time, however, McGraw has developed a newfound sense of confidence sans hat. “That’s one of those things about getting older – you get more comfortable with yourself,” he told People.

Indeed, McGraw looked downright cozy in a purple turtleneck, gray trousers and dress shoes on the red carpet last Sunday. The wardrobe also marked a departure from his trademark bicep-baring tank top, though his usual tangle of multicolored leather bracelets had plenty of country rockstar appeal.

Coupled with salt-n-pepper scruff, McGraw’s look sent a message that he’s officially aged into zaddy territory. We like it, we love it.