Keith Urban | |
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 Urban in 2020 | |
| Born | Keith Lionel Urbahn (1967-10-26)26 October 1967 (age 58) Whangārei, New Zealand |
| Citizenship |
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| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Caboolture, Queensland, Australia |
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| Labels | |
| Formerly of | The Ranch |
| Website | keithurban |
Musical artist | |
Keith Lionel Urban[1][2] (néUrbahn; 26 October 1967) is an Australian and Americancountry singer, songwriter and guitarist. Recognised with fourGrammy Awards,[3] he has also received 15Academy of Country Music Awards, including the Jim Reeves International Award,[4] 13CMA Awards, and sixARIA Music Awards. Urban wrote and performed the song "For You" from the filmAct of Valor, which earned him nominations at both the70th Golden Globe Awards and at the18th Critics' Choice Awards in the respective Best Original Song categories.[5]
Urban has released a total of 12 studio albums (one of which was released only in Australia), as well as one album with his short-lived backing bandthe Ranch. He has charted 37 singles on the USHot Country Songs chart, 18 of which went to number one, counting a duet withBrad Paisley ("Start a Band") and the 2008 single "You Look Good in My Shirt". Urban also worked with numerous artists from different music genres, such asPink,Nelly Furtado,Jason Derulo,Julia Michaels, andPeter Frampton, as well as country artists likeDolly Parton,The Chicks,Carrie Underwood,Martina McBride,Eric Church, andReba McEntire.
Born in New Zealand, Urban immigrated to Australia as a child. In 1991, he released aself-titled debut album, charting four singles in Australia before moving to the United States the next year. He began a band known asThe Ranch, which recordedone studio album onCapitol Nashville and charted two singles on the USBillboardHot Country Songs chart.
Still signed to Capitol, Urban made his solo American debut in 1999 with asecond eponymous album. Certified platinum in the US by theRIAA, it produced his first number one on theHot Country Songs chart with "But for the Grace of God". "Somebody Like You", the first single from his second Capitol albumGolden Road (2002), was named byBillboard as the biggest country hit of the 2000s decade. The album's fourth single, "You'll Think of Me" featuring his nephew and fellow country artist Rory Gilliatte, earned him his first Grammy Award. 2004'sBe Here, his third American album became his highest-selling album, being certified 4× Platinum.Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing was released in 2006, containing "Once in a Lifetime" as well as his second Grammy Award-winning song, "Stupid Boy". A greatest hits package titledGreatest Hits: 18 Kids followed in late 2007.Defying Gravity andGet Closer were released on 31 March 2009 and 16 November 2010, respectively. In September 2013, he released the albumFuse, which produced four more number ones on theCountry Airplay chart. "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16" was released in June 2015[6] as the lead single of his eighth American studio album,Ripcord. Later the album 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, was released in 2018 and includes the Top 10 hit "Coming Home". His eleventh albumThe Speed of Now Part 1 was released in 2020 and includes the global hit "One Too Many" withPink, in addition to Country Airplay top ten hits "We Were" and "God Whispered Your Name".
Urban was a coach on the Australian version of the singing competitionThe Voice and a judge onAmerican Idol. In October 2013, he introduced his own signature line of guitars and accessories.
Urban was born on 26 October 1967 inWhangārei, New Zealand.[7] He is the youngest son of Marienne and Robert "Bob" Urbahn.[1] At two years of age, Urban moved with his parents toCaboolture, Queensland, in Australia.[8] Expressing an early interest in music, at four he was 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.[9] His father owned aconvenience store and put an ad for a guitar teacher in his shop window,[10] which led to his taking guitar lessons from Sue McCarthy.[11] He entered local competitions and acted in a local theatre company.[7] Urban has said that his guitar playing was influenced by two rock guitarists,Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) andLindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac).
In 1980, Urban was a contestant on the Australian TV talent showNew Faces.[12] A few years later, he began making inroads into theAustralian country music scene, with regular appearances on theReg LindsayCountry Homestead TV programme, Mike McClellan's music programme, and various other TV programmes performing duets with Jenny Wilson, a girl fromBrisbane. They won a Golden Guitar award at theTamworth Country Music Festival. Urban also performed regularly on stage at the Northern Suburbs Country Music Club inBald 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 andConway Country.
In November 1989, Urban self-released a promotional extended play seeking a record deal, featuring "Honky Tonk Rock" and "There's a Light On" on the A-side and "Angry Words" and "Future Plans" on the B-side, dubbedLooking for a deal !!.[13]
In 1990, Urban signed withEMI in Australia and released hisself-titled debut album.[7] He appeared on the 1990 compilation albumBreaking Ground – New Directions in Country Music, which was nominated for the 1991ARIA Award for Best Country Album.[14] He toured as a backup act toSlim Dusty 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 theGrand Ole Opry backing Dusty.[15] He also sang backing vocals onINXS's 1991 single "Shining Star".[16]
Urban moved toNashville in 1992. The next year, he appeared in themusic video forAlan Jackson's rendition of "Mercury Blues".[17] He and Vernon Rust co-wrote "Jesus Gets Jealous of Santa Claus" onToby Keith's 1995 albumChristmas to Christmas,[18]4 Runner's 1996 single "That Was Him (This Is Now)",[19] he played guitar onGarth Brooks' albumDouble Live (Garth Brooks album) and "Tangled Up in Love" on theRaybon Brothers' 1997self-titled album.[20] In 1995, he formed a band known asThe Ranch, which included drummer Peter Clarke and bassist Jerry Flowers. The Ranch released aself-titled album forCapitol Records Nashville in 1997 and charted two singles on theHot Country Songs charts that year: "Walkin' the Country" and "Just Some Love".[21] Throughout the late 1990s, Urban also played guitar on several other artists' albums, such asPaul Jefferson,[22]Tim Wilson, andCharlie Daniels.
Urban released hisself-titled American debut album in 1999 under the production of session pianistMatt Rollings. It was led by the number 18 single "It's a Love Thing", followed by the number four single "Your Everything", which made him the first male New Zealand performer to reach the Top 10 on the US country charts.[23] Its follow-up, "But for the Grace of God", written byCharlotte Caffey andJane Wiedlin ofThe Go-Gos, became his first number 1 hit on the charts. The last single, "Where the Blacktop Ends", written bySteve Wariner andAllen Shamblin, went to number three. He won the Top New Male Vocalist Award at the 2001Academy of Country Music Awards and the 2001Country Music Association's Horizon Award.Allmusic'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".[24]
Urban released a 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 withDann Huff.[25] The album's lead-off single, "Somebody Like You", was released in July 2002 and spent six weeks at number one. The second single was the number three hit "Raining on Sunday" whichRadney Foster had previously released as a single from his 1998 albumSee What You Want to See.[26] The third and fourth singles from the album, "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me" and "You'll Think of Me", went to number one, with the latter winning him theGrammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 2005.[27] In 2002, Urban posednude forPlaygirl. OnThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno, he said that he regretted posing nude despite not showing any full frontal nudity.[28]
In 2004, Urban performed "Lights on the Hill" at theTamworth tribute concert following the death of Australian country singerSlim Dusty, an artist whom he had both written for and covered.[29][30]
In 2005, Urban performed in front of European audiences for the first time. In May, he supportedBryan Adams on his UK and Ireland tour, which included dates atEarls Court, London,Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Glasgow, andThe Point, Dublin. On 6 June a UK-only album,Days Go By, was released. The album contained songs from bothBe Here andGolden Road. On 22 September 2005, Urban's third studio album,Golden Road, was certified triple platinum, for sales of three million copies.[31] "You Look Good in My Shirt" was originally intended to be the fifth single from this album.[32] Instead, Capitol chose to release "Days Go By", the lead-off to his third American albumBe 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[33] and remained a fan favourite.[32] The next single from this album was the number 2 "You're My Better Half", followed by the five-week number 1 "Making Memories of Us", which was written byRodney Crowell and previously recorded by bothTracy Byrd[34] and Crowell's side projectThe Notorious Cherry Bombs.[35] The next singles from this album were "Better Life" and "Tonight I Wanna Cry". The former, which Urban wrote withRichard Marx, 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.[33]
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.[36] Despite the high debut, the song peaked at number 6.[27] Following it was "Stupid Boy", which was co-written bySarah Buxton, went to number 3, and won him his second Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 2007.[27] The album's next two singles, "I Told You So" and "Everybody", respectively peaked at numbers two and five.[27] Urban released his first greatest hits collectionGreatest Hits: 18 Kids on 20 November 2007. The compilation contains all of his Top 10 hits, along with two new songs, "Got It Right This Time (The Celebration) and a cover ofSteve Forbert's "Romeo's Tune"."
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In January 2008, Urban embarked on the "Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride World Tour" with fellow country singerCarrie Underwood. 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 forBrad Paisley's single "Start a Band," on which both he and Paisley sang and played guitar. This song was included on Paisley's albumPlay and it went to No. 1 in January 2009.
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",[37] was released in March 2009. Urban performed this song onAmerican Idol, during theseason 8 finale, as a duet with eventual winnerKris Allen. "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" is a cover of a song by Radney Foster, taken from the same album as "Raining on Sunday" was. This song was also recorded byThe Kinleys,[26] 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-labelmateEmily West's single "Blue Sky," which charted at number 38.
Urban's 2009 Escape Together tour, supporting theDefying Gravity album, featured many big-name opening acts, such asTaylor Swift,Sugarland, andJason Aldean. 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.
In May 2010, Urban entered the studio to begin work on a new album.[38] 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 titledGet Closer and would be released on 16 November. "Put You in a Song" was released as its first single on 13 September.[39] It went to number 2, followed by "Without You", "Long Hot Summer", and "You Gonna Fly", all of which went to number one. Urban wrote, "Put You in a Song" withSarah Buxton andJedd Hughes, and "Long Hot Summer" withRichard Marx. Preston Brust and Chris Lucas, who are theLoCash Cowboys, co-wrote "You Gonna Fly" withJaren Johnston, then-member of the groupAmerican Bang. After "You Gonna Fly" fell from the charts, Urban released "For You", which was featured as the theme song of the 2012 action filmAct of Valor and appeared on the film'ssoundtrack. The song peaked at number six on the country charts.
On 10 April 2012, Urban was invited to be a member of theGrand Ole Opry byVince Gill at the third annualWe're All for the Hall benefit concert which Urban organised. He was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on 21 April 2012.[40]
Urban plays guitar onTim McGraw's early-2013 single "Highway Don't Care", which also features a guest vocal fromTaylor Swift. This song is the third single from McGraw's albumTwo Lanes of Freedom.
On 13 May 2013, Urban released the single "Little Bit of Everything", produced byNathan Chapman.[41] It was the first single from his eighth studio album,Fuse, which was released on 10 September 2013.[42] 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.[43][44] The album's second single, "We Were Us", is a duet withMiranda Lambert. It reached number one on theCountry Airplay chart in December 2013. The third single, "Cop Car", was released in January 2014. A fourth single, "Somewhere in My Car" was released in June 2014. A fifth single, a duet withEric Church, "Raise 'Em Up," was released to country radio on 26 January 2015. It reached number 1 on Country Airplay in May 2015.
In June 2015, Urban released "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16", as the lead single to his eighth American studio album,Ripcord.[45] 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 albumGolden Road being certified triple platinum, for sales of three million copies of his record.[46] "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", a duet withCarrie Underwood, was released as the fifth single from the album.
In 2016, Urban was selected as one of 30 artists to perform on "Forever Country," a medley of "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "On the Road Again", and "I Will Always Love You" which celebrates 50 years of theCMA Awards.[47]
On 8 November 2017, Urban released a new song titled "Female", which has been described as "an empowerment anthem partially inspired by theHarvey Weinstein scandal." Urban said that the song, "[a]s 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 was the lead single for Urban's tenth studio album.[48]
It was announced that Urban's tenth studio album would be titledGraffiti U and that aworld tour in support of it would begin in summer 2018.[49]On 19 January, theEd Sheeran co-written song "Parallel Line" was released as a single in Australia and the United Kingdom.[50] On 21 March, Urban released the album's second single "Coming Home", a heavilypop-influenced, upbeat song featuring a duet with pop singerJulia Michaels. This song also features a revamped version of the opening riff ofMerle Haggard'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.[51] As well as Julia Michaels, the album also features duets withLindsay Ell,Shy Carter, and Kassi Ashton.[52]Never Comin’ Down was released to radio as the fourth single in August 2018.[53]
On 16 May 2019, Keith Urban released a brand new single, "We Were", 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.[54] The track was co-written byEric Church.[55] On 24 November 2019, Urban played the halftime show at theCanadian Football League'sGrey Cup championship inCalgary.[56][57] On 27 February 2020, Urban released the single, "God Whispered Your Name" to country radio.[58] The track was co-written bycontemporary Christian artistChris August.[59] On 24 April, Urban released the single, "Polaroid" to radio in Australia and the United Kingdom.[60][61][62][63]
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.[64] Later in May 2020, Urban announced his eleventh studio album,The Speed of Now Part 1, would be released on 18 September 2020.[65][66][67] In July 2020, Urban released another promotional single, "Superman",[68] which was released to radio in Australia.[69] "Change Your Mind" followed in August 2020.[70]
In the week prior to the album's release, Urban hosted the rescheduled55th Academy of Country Music Awards and premiered the third North American single off the album, "One Too Many" withPink,[71] which would become Urban's first Top 10 all-genre song in his homeland of Australia.[72] In December 2020, Urban was listed at number 29 inRolling Stone Australia's "50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time" issue.[73] He is a featured artist onTaylor Swift's track "That's When" fromFearless (Taylor's Version), 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.[74] That year he also collaborated withAmy Shark on "Love Songs Ain't For Us", which also came out 2021.[75][76]
In August 2021, Urban released the single "Wild Hearts",[77][78] which he followed up with the single "Nightfalls" in March 2022.[79][80] In July 2022, Urban released the single "Brown Eyes Baby," which was co-written byMorgan Wallen.[81] He embarked on his headlining "The Speed of Now World Tour" in June 2022, withIngrid Andress as his opening act.[82] In October 2022, he released the single "Street Called Main".[83]
In 2024, Urban released the singles "Straight Line" and "Messed Up as Me".[84][85] The songs were later included on Urban's twelfth studio album,High, which was released on September 20, 2024.[86] The album also included the previously released songs "Wildside", "Go Home W U" featuringLainey Wilson, and "Heart Like a Hometown".[87]
On 23 November 2011, Urban was confirmed as one of the four vocal coaches in the Australian version of the reality singing competitionThe Voice,[88] alongsideSeal,Joel Madden, andDelta Goodrem. On 14 September 2012, Urban released a statement that he would not be signing back on for season two and was replaced byRicky Martin.[89] On 15 December 2020, it was announced that Urban would return to The Voice Australia season 10 for his second season replacingKelly Rowland, alongsideJessica Mauboy,Guy Sebastian, andRita Ora.[90][91] All judges returned for the eleventh season in 2022.[92] 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 and was replaced byJason Derulo.[93]
TheFox Broadcasting Company officially announced on 16 September 2012 that Urban would replaceSteven Tyler as a judge inseason 12 ofAmerican Idol alongsideRandy Jackson,Mariah Carey, andNicki Minaj.[94] On 1 August 2013, it was officially confirmed that Urban would return as a judge forseason 13.[95][96][97] He was joined by former judgeJennifer Lopez and newest judgeHarry Connick Jr. On 23 June 2014, Fox announced that Urban would return to the judging panel for season 14.[98] Urban returned to judge the15th season ofAmerican Idol in 2016, though in 2017, he announced his retirement from being a judge onAmerican Idol in the end of August.[99]
Urban features in the 2020Australian documentary filmSlim and I, directed byKriv Stenders, talking about the influence on his life of acclaimed Australian country music husband-and-wife duoSlim Dusty andJoy McKean. The film features interviews and covers of McKean songs by acclaimed contemporary artists including Urban (Lights on the Hill),Missy Higgins,Paul Kelly, andTroy Cassar-Daley.[100][101]
In October 2013, during a concert inTampa, Florida, Urban announced that he would sell 'signature' guitars and accessories throughHome Shopping Network (HSN).[102] HSN offered the guitar packages twice in six months, resulting in 42,000 sales.[103][104]
A portion of the proceeds benefit theMr. Holland's Opus Foundation and theGrammy Foundation.[102]
Urban is a citizen of New Zealand, Australia and the United States.[105]
Urban met Australian actressNicole Kidman atG'Day LA, aHollywood 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 ofSt Patrick's Estate, Manly, in Sydney.
On 2 February 2007, Urban filed a lawsuit against an American painter with the same name, who has a website called KeithUrban.com. Keith Urban, the singer, wanted to acquire the rights to the site.[106] The painter counter-sued.[107] The lawsuit was settled in the painter's favour.
On 7 January 2008, Kidman said that 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. On his website, Urban said: "We feel very, very blessed and grateful that we can share this joy with all of my loving fans today."[108][109]
On 28 December 2010, Urban and Kidman had a second daughter bygestational surrogacy at Nashville's Centennial Women's Hospital.[110]
In 2016, Urban released the trackThe Fighter, which is said to be inspired by Kidman.[111]
In February 2025, Urban and Kidman's home in Beverly Hills was burgled. Someone broke in, ransacked it and fled. The family was not there at the time.[112]
In September 2025, it was revealed that Urban and Kidman had separated and that she had filed for divorce.[113][114]
In the past, Urban struggled withalcoholism andcocaine addiction.[115] He described the late 1990s as a time when he was heavily using substances.[116] In 1998, he checked into Cumberland Heights, a treatment center in Nashville.[117] On 19 October 2006, Urban checked into theBetty Ford Center inRancho Mirage, California. On 20 October, he released 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 he had completed rehab and his plans to go on tour to promote his albumLove, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing.[118]
Solo studio albums
The Ranch studio albums
Headlining tours
Co-headlining
Supporting tours
Residencies
Urban was appointedOfficer of the Order of Australia at the2020 Australia Day Honours for "distinguished service to the performing arts as a singer and songwriter, and to charitable organisations".[121]
Urban was named the 241st greatest guitarist of all time byRolling Stone in 2023.[122]
Yet it was in Whangarei that Keith Lionel Urbahn entered the world, kicking and screaming, on October 26, 1967. ... Keith shed that bothersome "h" on the road somewhere between Whangarei and Nashville.
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