1967–present
Keith Urban News: Singer to Star in a New TV Competition This Fall
Keith Urban is set to headline the upcoming music competition series The Road. The CBS show will follow the Grammy-winning country singer as he searches for the next big name in music.
Emerging artists will be tested on their ability to perform in front of a live audience by opening for Urban at a series of concerts across Texas, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. Audience members at each venue will help decide which participants will stay on tour.
“I love the idea of throwing artists into a real-world environment to find out if they are artists,” he said in a statement on February 25. “Paying your dues sucks, but there are things in this business that can’t be taught, like how to put together a set list, whether to extend or cut a song during your performance or how to work the crowd.”
In the series, Urban will perform songs from his latest album, High, that released in September 2024, as well as some of his other hits. Filming will conclude shortly before the 57-year-old embarks on his High and Alive World Tour in May. “For me, touring has always been my first love,” he continued. “It’s the only road to take if you want to be a performer.”
While there is currently no release date, The Road is expected to air in the fall.
Listen to High on Amazon Music, Apple Music, or Spotify
Who Is Keith Urban?
Since growing up in Australia on American country music, Keith Urban has become one of the genre’s most enduring artists. In 1999, he released a self-titled solo album, setting the table for an impressive career that has produced top-selling albums like Defying Gravity and Fuse as well as numerous Grammy, Country Music Association, and Academy of Country Music wins. Elsewhere, Urban served as a judge on the competition show American Idol from 2013 to 2016. He and his wife, actor Nicole Kidman, have two daughters.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Keith Lionel Urban
BORN: October 26, 1967
BIRTHPLACE: Whangarei, New Zealand
SPOUSE: Nicole Kidman (2006–present)
CHILDREN: Sunday and Faith
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Scorpio
Early Life and Career
Keith Lionel Urban was born on October 26, 1967, in Whangarei on New Zealand’s North Island. While being raised in Australia, Keith inherited a passion for American country music from his parents, Bob and Marienne, who gave him a ukulele when he was 4 years old. Keith took up guitar lessons two years later and started entering talent competitions at the age of 8.
By the time he was a teenager, he had won several talent shows and joined a country band. His signature style—a mix of rock guitar and country sound—emerged during those formative years. His guitar influences include Fleetwood Mac, Dire Straits, and John Mellencamp.
In 1991, when he was in his early 20s, Keith debuted his first album, which enjoyed success in his native Australia. It was time for the 5-foot-10 musician to cut his teeth in Nashville.
His first Nashville band, the Ranch, made a huge splash, and the group released a self-titled album in 1997 to commercial acclaim. Shortly thereafter, Urban decided to leave the band to pursue a solo career. His talents were quickly recruited by some of the biggest names in country music, including Garth Brooks and the Dixie Chicks (now The Chicks).
Solo Albums
As a solo artist, Urban has released a whopping 11 studio albums, three of which have become No. 1 country albums. Defying Gravity (2009), one of two albums to top the Billboard 200 chart, earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album. Urban’s newest album, High, arrived in September 2024.
Hit Songs
Urban has delivered dozens of hit country songs over the course of his long career. His first No. 1 country song, “But for the Grace of God,” came in 1999 with the release of his self-titled album. In 2002, he released the No. 1 single “Somebody Like You,” which was nominated for Single Record of the Year at the ACM Awards.
Four of his hits are responsible for all of Urban’s Grammy Awards. “You’ll Think of Me,” “Stupid Boy,” “Sweet Thing,” and “’Til Summer Comes Around” each won the award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. “Sweet Thing” was inspired by the singer’s wife, actor Nicole Kidman.
In fall 2009, Urban performed at the CMA Awards and received several honors for his collaborative effort with Brad Paisley on “Start a Band.”
The singles “Without You” and “You Gonna Fly” rose to the top of the Billboard country songs chart in 2011 and 2012, respectively, followed by the release of the Grammy-nominated songs “Cop Car” and “Raise ’Em Up” three years later. His 2016 tracks “Blue Ain’t Your Color” and “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” also received Grammy nominations, along with his 2018 single “Parallel Line.”
Net Worth
As of February 2025, Urban has an estimated net worth of $75 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. In addition to his music and concert sales, he earns money from his signature line of acoustic and electric guitars.
Wife Nicole Kidman and Daughters
Urban met actor Nicole Kidman at a gala in 2005 and proposed the following May. A month later, in June 2006, the pair married in their native Australia. Shortly after their wedding, the once-sober singer started drinking again, prompting Kidman to stage an intervention.
Urban credits his wife for sobriety, expressing his gratitude for her in his 2009 song “Thank You.” In 2016, the musician opened up about how his struggles with addiction affected his relationship with Kidman. "“I caused the implosion of my fresh marriage,” he told Rolling Stone. “It survived, but it’s a miracle it did. I was spiritually awoken with her. I use the expression ‘I was born into her,’ and that’s how I feel. And for the first time in my life, I could shake off the shackles of addiction.”
After moving to Nashville, Urban and Kidman welcomed their first daughter, Sunday, in July in 2008. “We want to thank everybody that has kept us in their thoughts and prayers,” Urban wrote on his website shortly after Sunday’s birth. “We feel very blessed and grateful that we can share this joy with all of you today.” In December 2010, the couple had their second daughter, Faith, who was conceived via surrogacy.
Addiction and Sobriety
Urban first checked himself into a rehabilitation center for drug and alcohol addiction in 1998, following years of drug use and heavy drinking. After nearly eight years of sobriety, the singer relapsed just months after marrying actor Nicole Kidman in 2006. At Kidman’s urging, Urban checked himself into the Betty Ford Clinic. His album Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing was released while he was in rehab.
Urban opened up about his struggles with addiction in October 2021, revealing that his father, Robert, was also an alcoholic. “It took me a long time to get sober, took me a long time to recognize my alcoholism,” he told the Australian edition of Rolling Stone. “A long time because I didn’t drink like my dad, so I compared everything to him. So it just took a long time for me. But I was able to finally make the right choice in my life, that I wish my dad would have made.”
American Idol Judge
In 2012, Urban was chosen as a new judge for Season 12 of American Idol, which began in January 2013. Urban appeared alongside Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey, and Nicki Minaj in his debut season. In 2014, he worked with Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr. A popular judge, Urban remained with the show for four seasons, through the end of its initial run in 2016.
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