Keith Lionel Urban
(born 26 October 1967) is an Australian-American musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter known for his work in
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
. Recognized with four
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
, Urban also received fifteen
Academy of Country Music Awards
The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academy ...
, including the Jim Reeves International Award, thirteen
CMA Awards
The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...
and six
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...
. Urban wrote and performed the song "
For You" from the film ''
Act of Valor
''Act of Valor'' is a 2012 American action film produced and directed by Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh, and written by Kurt Johnstad. Starring Alex Veadov, Roselyn Sánchez, Nestor Serrano and Emilio Rivera, as well as active duty U.S. Navy SEAL ...
'', which earned him nominations at both the
70th Golden Globe Awards
The 70th Golden Globe Awards honoring the best in film and television of 2012, was broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 13, 2013, by NBC. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler co-hosted. Nominations were annou ...
and at the
18th Critics' Choice Awards in the respective Best Original Song categories.
Urban has released 11 studio albums (one of which was released only in Australia), as well as one album with
the Ranch
''The Ranch'' is an American streaming television sitcom series. It starred Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson (who previously co-starred on ''That '70s Show'') as brothers Colt and Rooster Bennett, respectively; who help run the Colorado cattle ...
. He has charted 37 singles on the US
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
chart, 18 of which went to number one, counting a duet with
Brad Paisley
Bradley Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting with his 1999 debut album ''Who Needs Pictures'', he has released eleven studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashvil ...
("
Start a Band") and the 2008 single "
You Look Good in My Shirt". Urban also worked with numerous artists from different music genres, such as
Pink
Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
,
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado (; ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Furtado has sold over 40 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful Canadian artists.
She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired deb ...
,
Jason Derulo
Jason Joel Desrouleaux (born September 21, 1989), known professionally as Jason Derulo (; formerly stylized as Derülo), is an American singer and songwriter. ,
Julia Michaels
Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g ...
, and country artists as
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
,
Dixie Chicks
The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and E ...
,
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bill ...
,
Martina McBride
Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, born July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material.
McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and relocat ...
and
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...
.
In 1991, he released a
self-titled debut album, charting four singles in Australia before moving to the United States the following year. He started a band known as
The Ranch
''The Ranch'' is an American streaming television sitcom series. It starred Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson (who previously co-starred on ''That '70s Show'') as brothers Colt and Rooster Bennett, respectively; who help run the Colorado cattle ...
, which recorded
one studio album on
Capitol Nashville
Capitol Records Nashville is a major United States-based record label located in Nashville, Tennessee operating as part of the Universal Music Group Nashville. From 1991 to 1995, Capitol Nashville was known as Liberty Records, before returning ...
and charted two singles on the US ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
chart.
Still signed to Capitol, Urban made his solo American debut in 1999 with a
second eponymous album. Certified platinum in the US by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
, it produced his first number one on the
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
chart with "
But for the Grace of God". "
Somebody Like You
"Somebody Like You" is a song co-written and recorded by Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released in July 2002 as the first single from his third studio album, '' Golden Road'' (2002). The song became Urban's second number-on ...
", the first single from his second Capitol album ''
Golden Road'' (2002), was named by ''Billboard'' as the biggest country hit of the 2000s decade. The album's fourth single, "
You'll Think of Me
"You'll Think of Me" is a song written by Darrell Brown, Ty Lacy, and Dennis Matkosky and recorded by Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released in January 2004 as the fourth and final single from his 2002 album '' Golden Road' ...
" featuring his nephew and fellow country artist Rory Gilliatte, earned him his first Grammy Award. 2004's ''
Be Here'', his third American album became his highest-selling album, being certified 4× Platinum. ''
Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing
''Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing'' (stylized as Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing) is the fifth studio album by Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It is his fourth album release in the United States, and his fifth for Capitol Na ...
'' was released in 2006, containing "
Once in a Lifetime" as well as his second Grammy Award-winning song, "
Stupid Boy
"Stupid Boy" is a song written by Dave Berg (songwriter), Dave Berg, Deanna Bryant, and Sarah Buxton. Originally recorded by Buxton, the song was later recorded by Australian country music singer Keith Urban on his 2006 album ''Love, Pain & the W ...
". A greatest hits package titled ''
Greatest Hits: 18 Kids'' followed in late 2007. ''
Defying Gravity'' and ''
Get Closer'' were released on 31 March 2009 and 16 November 2010, respectively. In September 2013, he released the album ''
Fuse
Fuse or FUSE may refer to:
Devices
* Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current
** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles
* Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...
'', which produced four more number ones on the
Country Airplay
Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since January 20, 1990.
This chart lists the 60 most-listened-to records played on 150 mainstream country radio stations across the country as monitored ...
chart. "
John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16" was released in June 2015
as the lead single of his eighth American studio album, ''
Ripcord''. The album later produced the Country Airplay chart number-one hits "
Break on Me", "
Wasted Time", and "
Blue Ain't Your Color", with the latter also becoming Urban's longest-reigning number one on the Hot Country Songs chart, spending 12 weeks atop the chart. His tenth album, ''
Graffiti U
''Graffiti U'' is the tenth studio album by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released on 27 April 2018, through Hit Red and Capitol Records Nashville. The album was heavily influenced by experiences from Urban' ...
'', was released in 2018 and includes the Top 10 hit "
Coming Home". His eleventh album ''
The Speed of Now Part 1
''The Speed of Now Part 1'' is the eleventh studio album by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban. The album was released on 18 September 2020 via Hit Red and Capitol Records Nashville.
The album won the Highest Selling Al ...
'' was released in 2020 and includes the global hit "
One Too Many" with
Pink
Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
, in addition to Country Airplay top ten hits "
We Were
"We Were" is a song written by Eric Church, Ryan Tyndell, and Jeff Hyde and recorded by Australian country music artist Keith Urban. It was released on 13 May 2019 as the first single from Urban's eleventh studio album '' The Speed of Now Part 1'' ...
" and "
God Whispered Your Name
"God Whispered Your Name" is a song recorded by New Zealand-Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released on 2 March 2020 as the second single from Urban's eleventh studio album '' The Speed of Now Part 1''.
Content
American Christi ...
".
Urban was a coach on the Australian version of the singing competition ''
The Voice
The Voice may refer to:
Fictional entities
* The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics
* The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe
* The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...
'' and a judge on ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
''. In October 2013, Urban introduced his own signature line of guitars and accessories.
Early life
Urban was born on 26 October 1967 in
Whangarei, New Zealand.
He is the youngest son of Marienne and Robert "Bob" Urbahn (Urbański).
At two years of age, Urban moved with his parents to
Caboolture, Queensland
Caboolture () is a town and suburb in Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Caboolture had a population of 26,433 people. It is located on the north side of the Caboolture River, which separates the town from Morayfi ...
, Australia. Expressing an early interest in music, he was at four given a ukulele, and at six he took up the guitar. From an early age Urban’s influences reflected the tastes of his parents, who enjoyed country music. His father, who owned a
convenience store
A convenience store, convenience shop, corner store or corner shop is a small retail business that stocks a range of everyday items such as coffee, groceries, snack foods, confectionery, soft drinks, ice creams, tobacco products, lottery ticket ...
, put an ad for a guitar teacher in his shop window. Urban took lessons from his teacher, Sue McCarthy, and began entering local competitions, in addition to acting in a local theatre company.
Urban has stated that his guitar playing was influenced by two rock players,
Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...
(
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and percuss ...
) and
Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist and male lead vocalist of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fl ...
(
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...
).
In 1983, Urban was a contestant on the Australian TV talent show ''
New Faces
''New Faces'' is a British television talent show that aired in the 1970s and 1980s. It has been hosted by Leslie Crowther, Derek Hobson and Marti Caine. It was produced for the ITV network by ATV, and later by Central.
Original series: 197 ...
''. A few years later, he began making inroads into the
Australian country music scene, with regular appearances on the
Reg Lindsay
Reginald John Lindsay OAM (7 July 1929 – 5 August 2008) was an Australian country music singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and radio and television personality. He won three Golden Guitar Awards and wrote more than 500 ...
Country Homestead TV Program, Mike McClellan's Music Program, and various other TV programmes performing duets with local
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
girl Jenny Wilson. They won a Golden Guitar award at the
Tamworth Country Music Festival
The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual Australian music festival held for 10 days from Friday to Sunday in mid to late January each year, sometimes including Australia Day, in Tamworth, New South Wales. The festival is the second bigg ...
. Urban also performed regularly on stage at the Northern Suburbs Country Music Club in Bald Hills, where he was a member. He was in a band called 'Kids Country', which performed during school holidays at various venues and made appearances on the Reg Lindsey show and Conway Country.
Musical career
1990–1999: Early years
In 1990, Urban signed with
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
in Australia and released his
self-titled debut album.
He appeared on the 1990 compilation album ''
Breaking Ground - New Directions in Country Music
''Breaking Ground - New Directions in Country Music'' is a compilation album of Australian contemporary country music. It was produced by John Spence and released in Australia by ABC Records in 1990. It was nominated for a 1991 ARIA Award for ...
'', which was nominated for the 1991
ARIA Award for Best Country Album
The ARIA Music Award for Best Country Album, is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Australian Recording Indus ...
.
He toured as a backup act to
Slim Dusty
Slim Dusty, AO MBE (born David Gordon Kirkpatrick; 13 June 1927 – 19 September 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon and one of the country's most awarded stars ...
between 1993 and 1994. In the mid-1990s, both people recorded a re-worked duet of Dusty's classic "
Lights on the Hill". Urban appeared for the first time at the
Grand Ole Opry
The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...
backing Dusty. He also sang backing vocals on
INXS
INXS (a word play, phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian Rock music, rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band's founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboar ...
's 1991 single "
Shining Star".
Urban moved to
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, in 1992. The next year, he appeared in the
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
for
Alan Jackson
Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for blending traditional honky-tonk and mainstream country pop sounds (for a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country"), as well as penning many o ...
's rendition of "
Mercury Blues
"Mercury Blues" is a song written by rural blues musician K. C. Douglas and Robert Geddins, and first recorded by Douglas in 1948.Leadbitter, M. and Slaven, N., ''Blues Records 1943 to 1970 Vol. 1: A-K'', London: Record Information Services 2nd ...
". He and Vernon Rust co-wrote "Jesus Gets Jealous of Santa Claus" on
Toby Keith
Toby Keith Covel (born July 8, 1961), known professionally as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. He released his first four studio albums—1993's ''Toby Keith'', 1994's ''Boomtown'', 1996' ...
's 1995 album ''
Christmas to Christmas
''Christmas to Christmas'' is the first Christmas album released on October 17, 1995, by American country music artist Toby Keith. His first studio album of Christmas music, it produced one single which charted from Christmas airplay in late 1995- ...
'',
4 Runner's 1996 single "That Was Him (This Is Now)", he played guitar on
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...
' album
Double Live (Garth Brooks album)
''Double Live'' is the first live album by American country music singer Garth Brooks. It was released on November 17, 1998 and is a two-disc compilation of live songs, recorded during Brooks' 1996–98 world tour.
The album broke the first-wee ...
and "Tangled Up in Love" on the
Raybon Brothers' 1997
self-titled album. In 1997, he formed a band known as
The Ranch
''The Ranch'' is an American streaming television sitcom series. It starred Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson (who previously co-starred on ''That '70s Show'') as brothers Colt and Rooster Bennett, respectively; who help run the Colorado cattle ...
, which included drummer Peter Clarke and bassist Jerry Flowers. The Ranch released one
self-titled album for
Capitol Records Nashville
Capitol Records Nashville is a major United States-based record label located in Nashville, Tennessee operating as part of the Universal Music Group Nashville. From 1991 to 1995, Capitol Nashville was known as Liberty Records, before returning ...
and charted two singles on the
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
charts that year: "Walkin' the Country" and "Just Some Love".
Throughout the late 1990s, Urban also played guitar on several other artists' albums, such as
Paul Jefferson
Paul Jefferson (born August 15, 1958, in Woodside, California, United States) is an American country music artist. Managed by Steven McClintock and McJames Music from 1993 through 1999 and then by Anastasia Pruit. Jefferson has released one st ...
,
Tim Wilson, and
Charlie Daniels
Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit "The Dev ...
.
1999–2001: ''Keith Urban''
Urban released his
self-titled American debut album in 1999 under the production of session pianist
Matt Rollings
Matt Rollings is a Grammy Award-winning American composer, keyboard player and record producer.
Known mainly for playing in Lyle Lovett's Large Band, Rollings has worked with many artists, not all country. Matt won the 'Best Traditional Pop Voc ...
. It was led by the number 18 single "
It's a Love Thing", followed by the number four single "
Your Everything
"Your Everything" is a song written by Chris Lindsey and Bob Regan and recorded by Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released in May 2000 as the second single from Urban's Keith Urban (1999 album), first American self-titled alb ...
", which made him the first male New Zealand performer to reach the Top 10 on the US country charts. Its follow-up, "
But for the Grace of God", written by
Charlotte Caffey and
Jane Wiedlin
Jane Marie Genevieve Wiedlin (born May 20, 1958) is an American musician and singer, best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist of the new wave music, new wave band The The Go-Go's, Go-Go's. She has also had a successful ...
of
The Go-Gos
The Go-Go's are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboards, Belind ...
, became his first number 1 hit on the charts. The last single, "
Where the Blacktop Ends
"Where the Blacktop Ends" is a song written by Allen Shamblin and Steve Wariner and recorded by Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released in April 2001 as the fourth and final single from Urban's first American self-titled al ...
", written by
Steve Wariner
Steven Noel Wariner (born December 25, 1954) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Initially a backing musician for Dottie West, he also worked with Bob Luman and Chet Atkins before beginning a solo career in the late 1 ...
and
Allen Shamblin
Allen Shamblin is a country music songwriter who was born in Tennessee, and was brought up in Huffman, Texas.
After graduating from Sam Houston State University he worked in Austin as a real estate appraiser. In 1987, he quit his job and move ...
, went to number three. He won the Top New Male Vocalist Award at the 2001
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country music ...
Awards and the 2001
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...
's Horizon Award.
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
's Thom Jurek described the first and third singles favorably, and praised the instrumental track "Rollercoaster", saying that Urban was "flat picking his Stratocaster like it was another extremity he was born with." He thought that those songs "balance the slick and sometimes too-soft production on the record".
2002–2006: ''Golden Road'' and ''Be Here''
![Keith Urban](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Keith_Urban.jpg)
Urban released his second American album, ''
Golden Road'', in 2002. Of the 13 songs included on this album, Urban produced seven himself and co-produced the other six with
Dann Huff
Dann Lee Huff (born November 15, 1960) is an American record producer and songwriter. For his work as a producer in the country music genre, he has won several awards, including the ''Musician of the Year'' award in 2001, 2004, and 2016 at the Co ...
. The album's lead-off single, "
Somebody Like You
"Somebody Like You" is a song co-written and recorded by Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released in July 2002 as the first single from his third studio album, '' Golden Road'' (2002). The song became Urban's second number-on ...
", was released in July 2002 and spent six weeks at number one. The second single was the number three hit "
Raining on Sunday
"Raining on Sunday" is a song co-written by country music artist Radney Foster and Darrell Brown. It was initially recorded on Foster's 1999 Arista Records album '' See What You Want to See''. Foster's version of the song features a backing voca ...
" which
Radney Foster
Radney Muckleroy Foster (born July 20, 1959) is an American country music singer-songwriter, musician and music producer. Initially a songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, Foster made his recording debut as part of the Foster & Lloyd duo, recording ...
had previously released as a single from his 1998 album ''
See What You Want to See''.
The third and fourth singles from the album, "
Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me" and "
You'll Think of Me
"You'll Think of Me" is a song written by Darrell Brown, Ty Lacy, and Dennis Matkosky and recorded by Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released in January 2004 as the fourth and final single from his 2002 album '' Golden Road' ...
", went to number one, with the latter winning him the
Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance was awarded between 1965 and 2011. The award has had several minor name changes:
*From 1965 to 1967 the award was known as Best Country & Western Vocal Performance - Male
*In 1968 it was a ...
in 2005.
On 22 September 2005, Urban's third studio album, ''
Golden Road'', was certified triple platinum, for sales of three million copies.
In 2002, Urban posed
nude for ''
Playgirl
''Playgirl'' was an American magazine that featured general interest articles, lifestyle and celebrity news, in addition to nude or semi-nude men. In the 1970s and 1980s, the magazine printed monthly and was marketed mainly to women, although ...
''. On ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014.
The fourth incarnation of the ...
'', he said that he regretted posing nude despite not showing any full frontal nudity.
In 2004, Urban performed "
Lights on the Hill" at the
Tamworth tribute concert following the death of Australian country singer
Slim Dusty
Slim Dusty, AO MBE (born David Gordon Kirkpatrick; 13 June 1927 – 19 September 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon and one of the country's most awarded stars ...
, an artist whom he had both written for and covered.
In 2005, Urban performed in front of European audiences for the first time. In May, he supported
Bryan Adams
Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...
on his UK and Ireland tour, which included dates at
Earls Court
Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London, bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that separate it from the ancient borough of Fulham to the west, the ...
, London,
, Glasgow, and
The Point, Dublin
The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 December 2008. It was built on the site of the former Point Theatre, a smaller music ...
. On 6 June a UK-only album, ''Days Go By'', was released. The album contained songs from both ''Be Here'' and ''Golden Road''.
"
You Look Good in My Shirt" was originally intended to be the fifth single from this album.
Instead, Capitol chose to release "
Days Go By", the lead-off to his third American album ''
Be Here''. By late 2004, this song became Urban's fifth number one hit on the country chart. Although it was not officially released, "You Look Good in My Shirt" spent one week at number 60 on the country charts in July 2004
[Whitburn, p. 437] and remained a fan favourite.
The next single from this album was the #2 "
You're My Better Half", followed by the five-week number 1 "
Making Memories of Us
"Making Memories of Us" is a song written by American country music artist Rodney Crowell that has been recorded by several artists. The first version was recorded by American country music artist Tracy Byrd on his 2003 album '' The Truth About Me ...
", which was written by
Rodney Crowell
Rodney Crowell (born August 7, 1950) is an American musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music. Crowell has had five number one singles on Hot Country Songs, all from his 1988 album '' Diamonds & Dirt''. ...
and previously recorded by both
Tracy Byrd
Tracy Lynn Byrd (born December 17, 1966) is an American country music artist. Signed to Universal Music Group Nashville, MCA Nashville Records in 1992, Byrd broke through on the country music scene that year with his 1993 single "Holdin' Heaven" ...
and Crowell's side project
The Notorious Cherry Bombs
The Notorious Cherry Bombs, originally called The Cherry Bombs, was an American country music supergroup founded by singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell in 1980. A former member of Emmylou Harris's Hot Band, Crowell picked several former Hot Band membe ...
. The next singles from this album were "
Better Life" and "
Tonight I Wanna Cry". The former, which Urban wrote with
Richard Marx
Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963) is an American adult contemporary music, adult contemporary and pop rock singer-songwriter. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
Marx's Richard Marx (album), self-titled debut album went tri ...
, spent six weeks at number 1 and the latter spent three weeks at number 2. After this song, "Live to Love Another Day" spent 14 weeks on the country chart, reaching a peak of number 48, although it was never officially released as a single.
2006–2008: ''Love, Pain, & The Whole Crazy Thing'' and ''Greatest Hits: 18 Kids''
![Keith Urban in PoAH (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Keith_Urban_in_PoAH_%28cropped%29.JPG)
On 21 August 2006, Urban's "
Once in a Lifetime" debuted at No. 17, setting what was then a new record for the highest-debuting country single in the 62-year history of the Hot Country Songs chart. Despite the high debut, the song peaked at number 6.
Following it was "
Stupid Boy
"Stupid Boy" is a song written by Dave Berg (songwriter), Dave Berg, Deanna Bryant, and Sarah Buxton. Originally recorded by Buxton, the song was later recorded by Australian country music singer Keith Urban on his 2006 album ''Love, Pain & the W ...
", which was co-written by
Sarah Buxton
Sarah Jane Buxton (born July 3, 1980) is an American country music singer, formerly signed to the independent Lyric Street Records. Between 2006 and 2008, she issued three singles from an extended play titled '' Almost My Record'', in addition t ...
, went to number 3, and won him his second Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 2007.
The album's next two singles, "
I Told You So" and "
Everybody", respectively peaked at numbers two and five.
Urban released his first greatest hits collection ''
Greatest Hits: 18 Kids'' on 20 November 2007. This compilation contains all of his Top 10 hits, along with two new songs, "Got It Right This Time (The Celebration) and a cover of
Steve Forbert
Samuel Stephen "Steve" Forbert (born December 13, 1954) is an American pop music singer-songwriter. His 1979 song "Romeo's Tune" reached No. 11 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 13 on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary Chart. It also ...
's "Romeo's Tune"."
In January 2008, Urban embarked on the "Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride World Tour" with fellow country singer
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bill ...
. In early May 2008, Urban debuted a new song at the Grand Ole Opry titled "A New Sunshine". That same month, Urban recorded a new version of "
You Look Good in My Shirt" and released it as a single in June of that year. "Over the years it ("You Look Good In My Shirt") has always played like a hit song," Urban said. "That, combined with numerous requests from both fans and radio about why it was never a single, inspired us to get back into the studio and re-record the song." The single was a precursor to the "Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy World Tour" concert DVD release in the fall of 2008. Later that year, Urban served as a duet artist for
Brad Paisley
Bradley Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting with his 1999 debut album ''Who Needs Pictures'', he has released eleven studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashvil ...
's single "
Start a Band," on which both he and Paisley sang and played guitar. This song was included on Paisley's album ''
Play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* Pla ...
'' and it went to No. 1 in January 2009.
2008–2010: ''Defying Gravity''
Urban announced that the lead single for his fifth studio album would be titled "
Sweet Thing". This song became his tenth number one hit. Capitol Records released the album, ''
Defying Gravity'', on 31 March 2009. The second single, "
Kiss a Girl
"Kiss a Girl" is a song recorded by Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released in March 2009 as the second single from his 2009 album '' Defying Gravity''. The song reached number three on the US '' Billboard'' Hot Country Song ...
", was released in March 2009. Urban performed this song on
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
, during the
season 8
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In tempera ...
finale, as a duet with eventual winner
Kris Allen
Kristopher Neil Allen (born June 21, 1985) is an American singer and songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of ''American Idol''.
Prior to ''Idol'', he self-released a 2007 album, ''Brand New Shoes''.
Allen's ...
. "
Only You Can Love Me This Way", the third single, went to number one. The fourth single, "
'Til Summer Comes Around", went to number three. The fifth and final single "
I'm In
"I'm In" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Radney Foster. He recorded it on his 1999 studio album '' See What You Want to See'', which was released on the Arista Austin label. In 2000, The Kinleys released it as a ...
" is a cover of a song by Radney Foster, taken from the same album as "Raining on Sunday" was. This song was also recorded by
The Kinleys
The Kinleys were an American country music duo composed of identical twin sisters Heather and Jennifer Kinley (born November 5, 1970). Between 1997 and 2000, they recorded two albums for Epic Records (1997's '' Just Between You and Me'' and 2000's ...
,
whose version had been a Top 40 single in 2000. Urban's rendition went to number two. Between the two, Urban also made a guest appearance on then-labelmate
Emily West's single "Blue Sky," which charted at number 38.
Urban's 2009 Escape Together tour, supporting the ''Defying Gravity'' album, featured many big-name opening acts, such as
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
,
Sugarland
Sugarland is an American country music duo founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The duo consists of singer-songwriters Jennifer Nettles (lead vocals) and Kristian Bush (vocals, guitar, mandolin). They were founded in 2002, at which point Kristen Hall (vo ...
, and
Jason Aldean
Jason Aldean (born Jason Aldine Williams; February 28, 1977) is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to BBR Music Group, Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released ten albums and 40 singles. His 2010 ...
. On 27 June 2009, Urban filmed a video for the song, "Only You Can Love Me This Way", at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
In 2009, Urban was also a judge for the eighth annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.
2010–2012: ''Get Closer''
In May 2010, Urban entered the studio to begin work on a new album. The recording process was documented in a blog on his official website. At the beginning of September, it was announced that the album would be titled ''
Get Closer'' and would be released on 16 November. "
Put You in a Song
"Put You in a Song" is a song co-written and recorded by Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released on September 13, 2010 as the first single from his 2010 album '' Get Closer''. The song peaked at number 2 on the US '' Billboard' ...
" was released as its first single on 13 September. It went to number 2, followed by "
Without You", "
Long Hot Summer", and "
You Gonna Fly
"You Gonna Fly" is a song written by Preston Brust, Chris Lucas, and Jaren Johnston, and recorded by Australian country music artist Keith Urban. It was released in October 2011 as fourth and final single from Urban's 2010 album '' Get Closer''. Th ...
", all of which went to number one. Urban wrote, "Put You in a Song" with Sarah Buxton and
Jedd Hughes
Jedd Hughes (born in Quorn, Australia) is an Australian singer, songwriter, session musician, and record producer.
Early life
Hughes grew up in Quorn, where he grew up listening to his father's country records. He won a local country music ...
, and "Long Hot Summer" with Richard Marx. Preston Brust and Chris Lucas, who constitute the
LoCash Cowboys
LoCash (stylized as LOCASH), formerly known as LoCash Cowboys, is an American country music duo consisting of vocalists Chris Lucas and Preston Brust. They have released 3 studio albums, one each for Average Joes Entertainment, Reviver Records, and ...
, co-wrote "You Gonna Fly" with
Jaren Johnston
Jaren Ray Johnston (born October 4, 1980) is an American country music and rock singer and songwriter. He is a member of the group The Cadillac Three.
Career
Jaren is a multiple time Grammy nominated songwriter and producer. Johnston was former ...
, then-member of the group
American Bang
American Bang was an American southern rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. The group was founded by two former members of Llama and one of the Kicks, along with a fourth member, in 2005. American Bangat Allmusic They initially formed under the ...
. After "You Gonna Fly" fell from the charts, Urban released "
For You", which was featured as the theme song of the 2012 action film ''
Act of Valor
''Act of Valor'' is a 2012 American action film produced and directed by Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh, and written by Kurt Johnstad. Starring Alex Veadov, Roselyn Sánchez, Nestor Serrano and Emilio Rivera, as well as active duty U.S. Navy SEAL ...
'' and appeared on the film's
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
. The song peaked at number six on the country charts.
On 10 April 2012, Urban was invited to be a member of the
Grand Ole Opry
The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...
by
Vince Gill
Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist b ...
at the third annual
We're All for the Hall benefit concert which Urban organized. He was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on 21 April 2012.
Urban plays guitar on
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has released 16 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, four for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those album ...
's early-2013 single "
Highway Don't Care
"Highway Don't Care" is a song recorded by American country music singer Tim McGraw and singer-songwriter Taylor Swift on vocals, featuring Keith Urban on guitar. It was released to US country radio on March 25, 2013, as the third single from Mc ...
", which also features a guest vocal from
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
. This song is the third single from McGraw's album ''
Two Lanes of Freedom
''Two Lanes of Freedom'' is the twelfth studio album by American country music singer Tim McGraw. It was released February 5, 2013, as his first album for Big Machine Records following 20 years with Curb Records. He co-produced the album with By ...
''.
2013–2015: ''Fuse''
![Keith Urban on July 25th, 2014 Performing at Darien Lake](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Keith_Urban_on_July_25th%2C_2014_Performing_at_Darien_Lake.jpg)
On 13 May 2013, Urban released the single "
Little Bit of Everything", produced by
Nathan Chapman. It was the first single from his eighth studio album, ''
Fuse
Fuse or FUSE may refer to:
Devices
* Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current
** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles
* Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...
'', which was released on 10 September 2013. The official music video for "Little Bit Of Everything" debuted on VEVO on 25 July 2013. Unlike his previous albums, Urban co-produced with 10 other producers on this album. The album's second single, "
We Were Us
"We Were Us" is a song written by Nicolle Galyon, Jimmy Robbins, and Jon Nite and recorded by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban as a duet with American country music singer Miranda Lambert. It was released in September ...
", is a duet with
Miranda Lambert
Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country singer and guitarist. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place o ...
. It reached number one on the
Country Airplay
Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since January 20, 1990.
This chart lists the 60 most-listened-to records played on 150 mainstream country radio stations across the country as monitored ...
chart in December 2013. The third single, "
Cop Car", was released in January 2014. A fourth single, "
Somewhere in My Car
"Somewhere in My Car" is a song co-written and recorded by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released in June 2014 as the fourth international single and fifth overall from his 2013 album ''Fuse''. In December 201 ...
" was released in June 2014. A fifth single, a duet with
Eric Church
Kenneth Eric Church (born May 3, 1977) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He has released nine studio albums through Capitol Nashville since 2005. His debut album, 2006's '' Sinners Like Me'', produced three singles on the ''Billboar ...
, "
Raise 'Em Up
"Raise 'Em Up" is a song written by Tom Douglas, Jaren Johnston and Jeffrey Steele and recorded by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban as a duet with American country music singer Eric Church. It was released in January 20 ...
," was released to country radio on 26 January 2015. It reached number 1 on Country Airplay in May 2015.
2015–2017: ''Ripcord''
In June 2015, Urban released "
John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16", as the lead single to his eighth American studio album, ''
Ripcord''. In October 2015, Urban teased a new song called "
Break on Me"; it was released to the public on 23 October. It reached number one on the Country Airplay chart.
On 22 September 2015, Urban celebrated the tenth anniversary of his third studio album ''
Golden Road'' being certified triple platinum, for sales of three million copies of his record. "
Wasted Time" was released as the album's third single and it went on to reach the number one spot on the Country Airplay chart. "
Blue Ain't Your Color" was released as the album's fourth single and became a huge hit for Urban. It topped the Hot Country Songs chart as well as the Country Airplay Chart, spending 12 weeks at number one on the former chart. "
The Fighter
''The Fighter'' is a 2010 American biographical sports drama film directed by David O. Russell, and stars Mark Wahlberg (who also produced), Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo. The film centers on the lives of professional boxer Micky ...
", a duet with
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bill ...
, was released as the fifth single from the album.
In 2016, Urban was selected as one of 30 artists to perform on "
Forever Country
"Forever Country" is a 2016 mashup performed by "Artists of Then, Now & Forever," a one-time gathering of 30 country music artists. The song combines elements of three previous country hits: John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" (1971), Willi ...
," a medley of "
Take Me Home, Country Roads
"Take Me Home, Country Roads", also known simply as "Country Roads", is a song written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver about West Virginia. It was released as a single performed by Denver on April 12, 1971, peaking at number two o ...
", "
On the Road Again", and "
I Will Always Love You
"I Will Always Love You" is a song written and originally recorded in 1973 by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. Written as a farewell to her business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, expressing Parton's decision to pursue a solo career, ...
" which celebrates 50 years of the
CMA Awards
The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony f ...
.
2017–2018: ''Graffiti U''
On 8 November 2017, Urban released a new song titled "
Female
Female (Venus symbol, symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ovum, ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the Sperm, male gamete during sexual reproduction.
A female has larger gamet ...
", which has been described as "an empowerment anthem partially inspired by the
Harvey Weinstein scandal
In October 2017, ''The New York Times'' and ''The New Yorker'' reported that dozens of women had accused film producer Harvey Weinstein of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse over a period of at least 30 years. Over 80 women in the film in ...
." Urban said that the song, "
a husband and a father of two young girls...It affects me in a lot of ways. And as a son -- my mother is alive," he added. "It just speaks to all of the females in my life, particularly. For a guy who grew up with no sisters in a house of boys, it's incredible how now I'm surrounded by girls. But not only in my house; I employ a huge amount of women in my team. The song just hit me for so many reasons." Kidman provided background vocals on the song. The song would serve as the lead single for Urban's tenth studio album.
It was announced that Urban's tenth studio album would be titled ''
Graffiti U
''Graffiti U'' is the tenth studio album by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released on 27 April 2018, through Hit Red and Capitol Records Nashville. The album was heavily influenced by experiences from Urban' ...
'' and that a
world tour in support of it would begin in summer 2018.
On 19 January, the
Ed Sheeran
Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...
co-written song "
Parallel Line
In geometry, parallel lines are coplanar straight lines that do not intersect at any point. Parallel planes are planes in the same three-dimensional space that never meet. ''Parallel curves'' are curves that do not touch each other or inters ...
" was released as a single in Australia and the United Kingdom. On 21 March, Urban released the album's second single "
Coming Home", a heavily
pop-influenced, upbeat song featuring a duet with pop singer
Julia Michaels
Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g ...
. This song also features a revamped version of the opening riff of
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...
's hit "
Mama Tried" throughout it and with his family's blessing, Haggard even received a posthumous credit for writing the song. Coming Home reached number one on the Mediabase Country Chart on 5 August 2018. As well as Julia Michaels, the album also features duets with
Lindsay Ell
Lindsay Elizabeth Ell (born 20 March 1989) is a Canadian-American country pop singer, songwriter, guitarist and television personality from Calgary, Alberta. Her music incorporates elements of rock and blues. She was signed to the US record labe ...
,
Shy Carter
Blake Anthony Carter (born August 21, 1984), known professionally as Shy Carter, is an American songwriter, record producer, rapper and singer. He has written for Meghan Trainor, Jason Derulo, Charlie Puth, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, ...
, and Kassi Ashton.
Never Comin’ Down was released to radio as the fourth single in August 2018.
2019–present: ''The Speed of Now Part 1''
On 16 May 2019, Keith Urban released a brand new single, "
We Were
"We Were" is a song written by Eric Church, Ryan Tyndell, and Jeff Hyde and recorded by Australian country music artist Keith Urban. It was released on 13 May 2019 as the first single from Urban's eleventh studio album '' The Speed of Now Part 1'' ...
", a reflective mid-tempo ode to mischievous youth. "I like the idea that life just happens. At some point, whether in the moment or not, you just gotta go with it", he said. The track was co-written by
Eric Church
Kenneth Eric Church (born May 3, 1977) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He has released nine studio albums through Capitol Nashville since 2005. His debut album, 2006's '' Sinners Like Me'', produced three singles on the ''Billboar ...
. On 24 November 2019, Urban played the halftime show at the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
's
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...
championship in
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
. On 27 February 2020, Urban released the single, "
God Whispered Your Name
"God Whispered Your Name" is a song recorded by New Zealand-Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released on 2 March 2020 as the second single from Urban's eleventh studio album '' The Speed of Now Part 1''.
Content
American Christi ...
" to country radio. The track was co-written by
Contemporary Christian
Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...
artist
Chris August. On 24 April, Urban released the single, "
Polaroid
Polaroid may refer to:
* Polaroid Corporation, an American company known for its instant film and cameras
* Polaroid camera, a brand of instant camera formerly produced by Polaroid Corporation
* Polaroid film, instant film, and photographs
* Polar ...
" to radio in Australia and the United Kingdom.
In May 2020, Keith Urban hosted a drive-in concert for medical workers. His latest gig was mostly just him and two other musicians playing on a flatbed truck in front of about 125 cars. Urban played at the Stardust Drive-In movie theatre, about 60 km east of Nashville, Tennessee, for a crowd of more than 200 medical workers from Vanderbilt Health. Later in May 2020, Urban announced his eleventh studio album, ''
The Speed of Now Part 1
''The Speed of Now Part 1'' is the eleventh studio album by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban. The album was released on 18 September 2020 via Hit Red and Capitol Records Nashville.
The album won the Highest Selling Al ...
'', would be released on 18 September 2020.
In July 2020, Urban released another promotional single, "
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
", which was released to radio in Australia. He followed that up with "
Change Your Mind" in August 2020.
In the week prior to the album's release, Urban hosted the rescheduled
55th Academy of Country Music Awards and premiered the third North American single off the album, "
One Too Many" with
Pink
Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
, which would become Urban's first Top 10 all-genre song in his homeland of Australia. In December 2020, Urban was listed at number 29 in ''Rolling Stone Australia's "50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time"'' issue. He is a featured artist on
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
's track "
That's When" from ''
Fearless (Taylor's Version)
''Fearless (Taylor's Version)'' is the first re-recorded album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on April 9, 2021, through Republic Records. It is a re-recording of Swift's second studio album, ''Fearless'' (2008), and the f ...
'', Swift's first re-recorded studio album, which was released on 9 April 2021. "That's When" is one of six "from the Vault" tracks that did not make the 2008 album. That year he also collaborated with
Amy Shark
Amy Louise Billings (born 14 May 1986), known professionally as Amy Shark, is an Australian indie pop singer-songwriter-guitarist and producer from the Gold Coast, Queensland. During 2008 to 2012, her early solo material was released and per ...
on "Love Songs Ain't For Us", which also came out 2021.
In August 2021, Urban released the single "
Wild Hearts", which he followed up with the single "
Nightfalls" in March 2022. In July 2022, Urban released the single "Brown Eyes Baby," which was co-written by
Morgan Wallen
Morgan Cole Wallen (born May 13, 1993) is an American country singer and songwriter. He competed in the sixth season of ''The Voice'', originally as a member of Usher's team, but later as a member of Adam Levine's team. After being eliminated ...
. He is slated to embark on his headlining "The Speed of Now World Tour" in June 2022, with
Ingrid Andress
Ingrid Elizabeth Andress (born September 21, 1991) is an American country music singer-songwriter. Her breakthrough single, " More Hearts Than Mine" peaked at number 30 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Andress released her debut studio album '' ...
as his opening act. In October 2022, he released the single "Street Called Main."
Television and film appearances
''The Voice''
On 23 November 2011, Urban was confirmed as one of the four vocal coaches in the Australian version of the reality singing competition ''
The Voice
The Voice may refer to:
Fictional entities
* The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics
* The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe
* The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...
'', alongside
Seal
Seal may refer to any of the following:
Common uses
* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly:
** Earless seal, or "true seal"
** Fur seal
* Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...
,
Joel Madden
Joel Rueben Madden (né Combs; March 11, 1979) is an American singer best known as the lead vocalist for the pop punk band Good Charlotte. He is also part of the pop rock collaboration the Madden Brothers with his identical twin brother Benji ...
and
Delta Goodrem
Delta Lea Goodrem AM (born November 9, 1984) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Goodrem signed to Sony Music at the age of 15. Her debut album, '' Innocent Eyes'' (2003), topped the ARIA Albums Chart for 29 non-consecutive week ...
. On 14 September 2012, Urban released a statement that he would not be signing back on for season two and was replaced by
Ricky Martin
Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...
. On 15 December 2020, it was announced that Urban would return to The Voice Australia season 10 for his second season replacing
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling girl ...
, alongside
Jessica Mauboy
Jessica Hilda Mauboy (born 4 August 1989) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, she rose to fame in 2006 on the fourth season of ''Australian Idol'', where she was runner-up and subseq ...
,
Guy Sebastian
Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first '' Australian Idol'' in 2003, judge on Australia's ''The X Factor'' from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach ...
and
Rita Ora
Rita Sahatçiu Ora (born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK. Her debut studi ...
. All judges returned for the eleventh season in 2022. However, in October 2022, it was announced that Urban would not be returning to the big red chair for the twelfth season in 2023 due to his upcoming tour.
''American Idol''
The
Fox Broadcasting Company
The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations an ...
officially announced on 16 September 2012 that Urban would replace
Steven Tyler as a judge in
season 12 of ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' alongside
Randy Jackson
Randall Darius Jackson (born June 23, 1956) is an American record executive and television presenter, perhaps best known as a judge on ''American Idol'' from 2002 to 2013.
Jackson began his career in the 1980s as a session musician playing bas ...
,
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...
and
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...
. On 1 August 2013, it was officially confirmed that Urban would return as a judge for
season 13. He was joined by former judge
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
and newest judge
Harry Connick Jr. On 23 June 2014, Fox announced that Urban would return to the judging panel for season 14. Urban returned to judge the
15th season of ''American Idol'' in 2016.
''Slim and I''
Urban features in the 2020
Australian documentary film ''
Slim and I
''Slim and I'' is a 2020 Australian documentary film directed by Kriv Stenders about the life of Joy McKean and Slim Dusty, Australia's most successful husband and wife singer-songwriter duo.
Making of the documentary
The documentary came a ...
'', directed by
Kriv Stenders
Kriv Stenders is an Australian writer, producer and director best known for the film '' Red Dog'' and the thriller film ''Kill Me Three Times''.
He started off directing music videos for many famous Australian bands, including Go Betweens, M ...
, talking about the influence on his life of acclaimed Australian country music husband-and-wife duo
Slim Dusty
Slim Dusty, AO MBE (born David Gordon Kirkpatrick; 13 June 1927 – 19 September 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He was an Australian cultural icon and one of the country's most awarded stars ...
and
Joy McKean
Joy McKean , (born 14 January 1930), is an Australian country music singer-songwriter and wife and manager of the late Slim Dusty. Known as the "grand lady" of Australian country music, McKean is recognised as one of Australia's leading songwrite ...
. The film features interviews and covers of McKean songs by acclaimed contemporary artists including Urban (
Lights on the Hill),
Missy Higgins
Melissa Morrison Higgins (born 19 August 1983), known professionally as Missy Higgins, is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. Her Australian number-one albums are ''The Sound of White'' (2004), ''On a Clear Night'' (2007) and ''The Ol ...
,
Paul Kelly, and
Troy Cassar-Daley
Troy Cassar-Daley (born 18 May 1969) is an Australian country music songwriter and entertainer.
Cassar-Daley has released thirteen studio albums, two live albums and five compilation albums over 30 years, including the platinum-selling ''The G ...
.
Signature guitar line
In October 2013, during a concert in
Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
, Urban announced he would sell 'signature' guitars and accessories through
Home Shopping Network (HSN).
HSN offered the guitar packages twice in six months, resulting in 42,000 sales.
A portion of the proceeds benefit
The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization established in 1996 by Michael Kamen (1948-2003), the composer for the motion picture '' Mr. Holland's Opus''. It is headquartered in Studio City, Los Angeles.
According to the Founda ...
and the
Grammy Foundation.
Personal life
![Nicole Kidman Keith Urban 2009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Nicole_Kidman_Keith_Urban_2009.jpg)
Urban met Australian actress
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...
at ''
G'Day LA'', a Hollywood event promoting Australia, in January 2005, and they began dating six months later. They married on 25 June 2006 at the Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel in the grounds of
St Patrick's Estate, Manly, in Sydney.
On 2 February 2007, Urban filed a lawsuit against a New Jersey painter by the same name, who has a website called KeithUrban.com. The singer wanted to acquire the rights to the URL. The painter counter-sued. The lawsuit was settled in the painter's favour.
On 7 January 2008, Kidman said she and Urban were expecting their first child together. Kidman's publicist said, "the couple are thrilled and cannot wait". Kidman gave birth to a daughter in 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee. On his website, Urban said:
"Earlier this morning Nic gave birth to our beautiful baby girl, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban. We want to thank everybody that has kept us in their thoughts and prayers. We feel very, very blessed and grateful that we can share this joy with all of my loving fans today."
In 2010, Urban and Kidman had a second daughter, Faith Margaret Kidman Urban, by surrogate at Nashville's Centennial Women's Hospital.
Urban is a citizen of New Zealand, his place of birth, as well as a citizen of both Australia and the United States.
Substance use and recovery
Urban has struggled with
alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...
and cocaine addiction in his past. In 1998, he checked into Cumberland Heights, a treatment center in Nashville.
On 19 October 2006, Urban checked into the
Betty Ford Center in California. On 20 October, he issued a statement saying: "I deeply regret the hurt this has caused Nicole and the ones who love and support me. One can never let one's guard down on recovery, and I'm afraid that I have." On 18 January 2007, Urban announced his completion of rehab and his plans to go on tour to promote his album, ''
Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing
''Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing'' (stylized as Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing) is the fifth studio album by Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It is his fourth album release in the United States, and his fifth for Capitol Na ...
''.
Discography
;Studio albums
* ''
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban (born 26 October 1967) is an Australian-American musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter known for his work in country music. Recognized with four Grammy Awards, Urban also received fifteen Academy of Country Music Award ...
'' (1991)
* ''
The Ranch
''The Ranch'' is an American streaming television sitcom series. It starred Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson (who previously co-starred on ''That '70s Show'') as brothers Colt and Rooster Bennett, respectively; who help run the Colorado cattle ...
'' (1997)
* ''
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban (born 26 October 1967) is an Australian-American musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter known for his work in country music. Recognized with four Grammy Awards, Urban also received fifteen Academy of Country Music Award ...
'' (1999)
* ''
Golden Road'' (2002)
* ''
Be Here'' (2004)
* ''
Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing
''Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing'' (stylized as Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing) is the fifth studio album by Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It is his fourth album release in the United States, and his fifth for Capitol Na ...
'' (2006)
* ''
Defying Gravity'' (2009)
* ''
Get Closer'' (2010)
* ''
Fuse
Fuse or FUSE may refer to:
Devices
* Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current
** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles
* Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...
'' (2013)
* ''
Ripcord'' (2016)
* ''
Graffiti U
''Graffiti U'' is the tenth studio album by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released on 27 April 2018, through Hit Red and Capitol Records Nashville. The album was heavily influenced by experiences from Urban' ...
'' (2018)
* ''
The Speed of Now Part 1
''The Speed of Now Part 1'' is the eleventh studio album by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban. The album was released on 18 September 2020 via Hit Red and Capitol Records Nashville.
The album won the Highest Selling Al ...
'' (2020)
Filmography
* ''
Back to the Outback
''Back to the Outback'' is a 2021 computer-animated adventure comedy film directed by Clare Knight and Harry Cripps, in both their directorial debuts, from a screenplay written by Cripps, and a story by Gregory Lessans and Cripps. The voice cast ...
'' (2021) - Doug (voice)
Tours
![Keith Urban 20071209 duck walk](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Keith_Urban_20071209_duck_walk.jpg)
Headlining tours
*Livin' Right Now Tour (2004)
*Alive in '05 (2005)
*Still Alive in '06 (2006)
*Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy World Tour (2007)
*A.C.M Presents : Keith Urban & Rory Gilliatte '6 String Bandits' Tour (2008)
*Escape Together World Tour 2009 (2009)
*Summer Lovin' 2010 Tour (2010)
*
Get Closer 2011 World Tour
The Get Closer 2011 World Tour was the seventh headlining tour by Australian country music singer Keith Urban, in support of his seventh studio album '' Get Closer'' (2010). It began on 8 April 2011 in Adelaide, Australia and ended on 15 Octobe ...
(2011)
*
Light the Fuse Tour (2013)
*
Raise'Em Up Tour (2014)
*
ripCORD World Tour (2016–17) (
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bill ...
joined Urban as co-headliner for the New Zealand and Australia shows)
*
Graffiti U World Tour
''Graffiti U'' is the tenth studio album by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released on 27 April 2018, through Hit Red and Capitol Records Nashville. The album was heavily influenced by experiences from Urba ...
(2018–19)
*
The Speed of Now World Tour (2022)
Co-headlining
*Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride Tour (2008) co-headlined with
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bill ...
*
C2C: Country to Country (2019) co-headlined with
Lady A
Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum) is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar), ...
and
Chris Stapleton
Christopher Alvin Stapleton (born April 15, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and grew up in Staffordsville, Kentucky. In 2001, Stapleton moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to ...
Supporting tours
*Brooks & Dunn's Neon Circus & Wild West Show 2001
*Eagles Summer 2010 Tour (2010) – Opened for
The Eagles
The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles and six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s ...
and
The Dixie Chicks
The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and E ...
Awards and honours
Urban was appointed
Officer of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
at the
2020 Australia Day Honours
The 2020 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2020 by the Governor General of Australia, David Hurley.
The Australia ...
for "distinguished service to the performing arts as a singer and songwriter, and to charitable organisations".
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Urban, Keith
1967 births
20th-century Australian male singers
21st-century Australian male singers
American Idol participants
ARIA Award winners
Australian pianists
Australian country guitarists
Australian country singer-songwriters
Australian expatriates in the United States
Australian male guitarists
Australian male singer-songwriters
Australian multi-instrumentalists
New Zealand emigrants to Australia
Australian emigrants to the United States
Capitol Records artists
Country pop musicians
Grammy Award winners
Grand Ole Opry members
Lead guitarists
Living people
Male pianists
Officers of the Order of Australia
People from Brisbane
People with acquired American citizenship
People named in the Paradise Papers
New Zealand male singers
Judges in American reality television series