Posted on Nov 21, 2020

Here's What 26 Famous Musicians Looked Like In The Beginning Of Their Careers Vs. Now

Early-'00s John Legend was everything.

Kayla Yandoli

by Kayla Yandoli

BuzzFeed Staff

1. What Taylor Swift looked like in the beginning of her career in 2006:

Taylor Swift posing on the red carpet at the Country Music Awards in 2006

What Taylor Swift looks like now:

Instagram

2. What Harry Styles looked like in the beginning of his career in 2011:

Harry Styles at a One Direction book signing while wearing a "Harry Hearts Louis" t-shirt

What Harry Styles looks like now:

Instagram

3. What Mariah Carey looked like in the beginning of her career in 1990:

Mariah Carey posing for a portrait in 1990

What Mariah Carey looks like now:

Mariah Carey at the "A Fall From Grace" movie premiere

4. What Stevie Wonder looked like in the beginning of his career in 1963:

Stevie Wonder -- then known as "Little Stevie Wonder" -- performing on "Ready Steady Go"

What Stevie Wonder looks like now:

Stevie Wonder performing onstage, holding a microphone and wearing sunglasses

5. What Madonna looked like in the beginning of her career in 1984:

Madonna posing with a headscarf, lipstick, wild and wacky clothes, colorful bracelets, and multiple earrings, in 1984

What Madonna looks like now:

Madonna taking a selfie in quarantine while wearing glasses and pink hair

6. What Kelly Clarkson looked like in the beginning of her career in 2002:

Kelly Clarkson on an "American Idol" red carpet in the early '00s

What Kelly Clarkson looks like now:

Kelly Clarkson promo photos for "The Kelly Clarkson Show"

7. What Rihanna looked like in the beginning of her career in 2005:

Rihanna posing for a picture while wearing a cropped hoodie, jeans, and bangles in front of a leopard print backdrop

What Rihanna looks like now:

Rihanna at the launch of FENTY in 2020

8. What Beyoncé looked like in the beginning of her career in 1998:

Destiny's Child promoting Tommy Hilfiger jeans in the late '90s

What Beyoncé looks like now:

Beyoncé at the 2019 premiere for "The Lion King"

9. What Jay-Z looked like in the beginning of his career in 1989:

Jay-Z posing with a backwards hat on in the early '90s

What Jay-Z looks like now:

Jay-Z at the Roc Nation brunch, wearing a bright colored suit and drinking champagne

10. What Janet Jackson looked like in the beginning of her career in 1982:

Janet Jackson posing for her 1982 debut album cover

What Janet Jackson looks like now:

Instagram

11. What Patti Smith looked like in the beginning of her career in 1976:

Patti Smith wearing a US Air Force shirtin a black and white photograph, mid-70s

What Patti Smith looks like now:

Patti Smith on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in January 2020

12. What Tina Turner looked like in the beginning of her career in 1961:

Tina Turner posing with Ike Turner for a portrait in 1961

What Tina Turner looks like now:

Tina Turner posing in front of a fireplace while wearing a dress and loafers in the late 2010s

13. What Lenny Kravitz looked like in the beginning of his career in 1989:

Lenny Kravitz posing in front of a blue wall in 1989 while wearing a hat and colorful scarf

What Lenny Kravitz looks like now:

Lenny Kravitz posing in a jean jacket at his house while on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen"

14. What Jennifer Lopez looked like in the beginning of her career in the late '90s:

Jennifer Lopez at a movie premiere in the mid-'90s

What Jennifer Lopez looks like now:

Jennifer Lopez attends the Giuseppe for the J.Lo launch at Neiman Marcus in the late 2010s

15. What Diana Ross looked like in the beginning of her career in 1960:

The Supremes posing for promo photos in 1960

What Diana Ross looks like now:

Diana Ross performing at an event in 2019 or 2020, holding a microphone and smiling

16. What Elton John looked like in the beginning of his career in 1968:

Elton John posing for his first publicity photos in England, circa 1968

What Elton John looks like now:

Elton John at the screening for "Rocketman" in 2019, smiling while wearing heart-shaped glasses

17. What John Legend looked like in the beginning of his career in 2004:

John Legend singing and playing piano at his birthday dinner in 2004

What John Legend looks like now:

John Legend at the premiere of "United Skates" in 2019

18. What Celine Dion looked like in the beginning of her career in the early '80s:

Celine Dion posing for a portrait in the 1980s, wearing a headband and long, brown hair

What Celine Dion looks like now:

Celine Dion crouching down in an elevator while wearing a rainbow striped jumper in 2019

19. What James Taylor looked like in the beginning of his career in 1969:

Jack Robinson / Getty Images

What James Taylor looks like now:

James Taylor posing for a portrait in the late 2010s while smizing and wearing a cap

20. What Dave Grohl looked like in the beginning of his career in 1991:

Nirvana posing for a group shot in a bathroom in 1991

What Dave Grohl looks like now:

Dave Grohl performing with the Foo Fighters in 2018, playing guitar

21. What Ciara looked like in the beginning of her career in 2004:

Ciara posing on a red carpet at the 2004 TRL awards

What Ciara looks like now:

Instagram

22. What André 3000 looked like in the beginning of his career in the early '90s:

Outkast posing on top of a car in a black and white image in the early '90s

What André 3000 looks like now:

André 3000 sitting in a chair while wearing overalls, clasping his hands together while thinking pensively

23. What Fiona Apple looked like in the beginning of her career in 1996:

Fiona Apple posing for a portrait in New York City in 1996

What Fiona Apple looks like now:

Fiona Apple on a red carpet for "Dr. Strangelove" in 2016

24. What the Jonas Brothers looked like in the beginning of their career in 2006:

The Jonas Brothers posing backstage as a Radio Disney event in 2006

What the Jonas Brothers look like now:

The Jonas Brothers posing on a red carpet at The Women's Cancer Research Fund's Unforgettable Evening in 2020

25. What Drake looked like in the beginning of his career in 2006:

Drake on a red carpet at the Soul Train Music Awards in 2006

What Drake looks like now:

Drake posing on a red carpet at the "Top Boy" premiere in 2019

26. And what Britney Spears looked like in the beginning of her career in 1998:

Britney Spears posing on the floor during a portrait session for her first album cover, "...Baby One More Time"

What Britney Spears looks like now:

Britney Spears announcing her Las Vegas residency in 2019

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