Keith Urban

Keith Urban (born October 26, 1967, Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand) is a New Zealand-born Australian singer, songwriter, and guitarist who earned recognition both inside and outside the country music sphere for his pop-rock influences and honest lyrics.

Urban moved with his family from New Zealand to Queensland, Australia, when he was two years old. 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. At about age eight Urban began entering and winning talent competitions, and as a teenager he played steady guitar gigs in pubs and clubs. He quit school at 15 to pursue his musical interests. In 1988 Urban formed a band that went on to tour throughout Australia. Two years later he won an award at an Australian country music festival, which led to a record contract with EMI Music Australia. His first album, Keith Urban, was released in 1991 and fared well on music charts.

Following his Australian success, Urban realized his dream of relocating to Nashville, Tennessee—viewed by some as the heart of American country music—in 1992. There he formed a band, eventually known as the Ranch. The band’s self-titled debut album was released in 1997 to moderate critical acclaim, but it suffered from poor sales. Shortly thereafter Urban developed a medical condition that prevented him from singing, and the Ranch disbanded. While his voice was healing, Urban turned more toward guitar work, playing on albums for artists such as the Dixie Chicks and Garth Brooks. In 1999, voice again intact, he released his first American solo album, also titled Keith Urban, and scored a number-one hit on the Billboard country singles chart with “But for the Grace of God.” The albums Golden Road (2002) and Be Here (2004) generated more number-one country singles, earning fans and critical acclaim.

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In 2006 Urban began to gain attention for his personal life, marrying actress Nicole Kidman and voluntarily entering rehabilitation for drug and alcohol abuse. His next album, Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing, was released that same year and sold well despite his initial inability to tour to promote it. In 2009 Urban returned with the crossover hit album Defying Gravity. Its pop and rock influences and universal messages of love made it popular with both country and mainstream pop audiences and pushed it to number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. He followed it with Get Closer (2010), Fuse (2013), Ripcord (2016), Graffiti U (2018), and The Speed of Now Part 1 (2020). Urban’s cross-genre appeal was further solidified when he joined the cast (2013–16) of the reality singing-competition show American Idol as one of its judges.

Urban was the recipient of many awards for his music, especially within the country music arena. Among them were Grammy Awards for best male country vocal performance (2005, 2007, 2009, and 2010). In 2012 he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, one of country music’s highest honours.