3 Artists Who Completely Reinvented Themselves After Turning 40

Some things get better with age. Sure, youth is wonderful. The vibrant energy that comes with being young can’t really be replicated. But it’s also not the only thing that matters. Sometimes, wisdom, experience, and age really count.

Videos by American Songwriter

Here below, we wanted to highlight three artists who benefited from the passing of time. These are three songwriters and performers who got better with some seasoning. Indeed, these are three artists who completely reinvented themselves after turning 40.

Johnny Cash

When Johnny Cash was coming up in music during the 1950s and 1960s, he was known as a brash, almost cowboy-like figure. He sang about watching people die and rings of fire while a locomotive-like guitar chunked behind him. As time passed, however, Cash changed. By the time the 1990s came around, Cash was in his 60s. He was older, slower, and much more reflective. If you listen to his American Recordings series, including songs like “Hurt” above, you see an entirely different man. It’s like seeing a great oak tree come from a wiry sapling.

Cher

Cher was huge in the 1960s and 1970s. Partnered with her former husband, Sonny Bono, the duo of Sonny & Cher charmed audiences with songs like “I Got You Babe” and “The Beat Goes On”. But after Cher went solo, things changed. She became a dance music icon. She became known as someone who could and would reinvent herself all the time. By the late 1990s, Cher was atop the charts again thanks to her disco-inspired 1998 tune, “Believe”. From flower power to life after love—Cher is a master at change.

Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen spent his life toiling away in the world of words. He wrote songs that told stories, that carried deep laments. Some music fans might not realize it, but Cohen was 50 years old by the time his iconic track “Hallelujah” was first released. The composition might be the greatest tune ever written. While most people hope to achieve their creative high watermark by the time they are in their 30s, Cohen achieved the pinnacle of his art form in his 50s. That’s remarkable.

Photo by Bettmann/Getty Images