Riley Green Finally Addresses the Mustache Mayhem

Change can be scary, and Riley Green fans were certainly sounding alarm bells when the “Worst Way” singer made a surprise update to his signature look. As Music Mayhem shared in May 2025, the country music star posted a photo of himself clean-shaven alongside the caption, “Never let ’em know your next move…” Although the post may have seemed innocuous to outsiders, diehard Green fans were heavily divided over the new look.

However, there’s one thing they could all agree on: the singer’s lack of explanation for the change was truly mysterious. Now, a few weeks later, Green has finally explained the reason behind the new look: he wanted an even tan. “Every year in the summer, I shave,” he said in an interview with Big D & Bubba. “Just to get a little sun on my face.” Little did he know how strong of a reaction fans would have to this simple change.

Green Underestimated How Strongly Fans Would React to the Change

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During the interview, Green shared that he never expected such a strong fan reaction after shaving his face. “I didn’t realize that, this year, I was the mustache guy, you know?” the singer said. “So like, it was a big deal.” Later, he commented on fan reactions to the situation. “”There was quite a bit of talk about it,” he said.

The hosts remarked on how young Green appeared without his mustache, with one jokingly telling him he looked like a teenager. Clearly, others also agreed with the assessment. “Somebody said I went from ‘Tombstone’ to finance,” Green laughed, reflecting on a comment he saw from a fan. The singer’s bygone facial hair would definitely have kept pace with the “Tombstone” casts’ epic ‘staches.

The Singer Said His Mustache Was Helpful in Traffic

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Though going clean-shaven might help him keep his skin tone even during the summer, Green does admit that things are different without the power of the mustache. The singer joked about the respect a mustache earns in traffic during his Big D & Bubba interview. “You know when you pull up to a four-way stop…and you and another car get there at the same time? You always go first if you have a mustache” Green said.

He took the joke a step further, saying “Yeah, I’ve seen guys put it in park, get out of their car,” which earned a laugh from the interview hosts. “And you know what happens when you shave? That’s over.” While other drivers might not be yielding to Green sans-mustache, the new look hasn’t kept fans from flocking to his tour stops this summer.