KEITH URBAN
- AUSSIE COUNTRY SINGER -
G'day folks,
Welcome to the life of an Australian country singer. Keith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian country
musician. In 1991, he released a self-titled debut album and charted
four singles in Australia before moving to the United States the
following year.
Grammy-award
winning country music singer, songwriter and guitarist Keith Urban was named
the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year in 2006.
Synopsis
Keith
Urban decided to pursue a solo career in the late 1990s. In 2000, he released
his first, self-titled solo album. In 2001, he was named the CMA's "Top
New Male Vocalist." He toured in 2004, and was named CMA's
"Entertainer of the Year" the following year. Urban won his first
Grammy Award in 2006, and went on to receive three more Grammys. In 2012, Urban
was chosen as a new judge for season 12 of the popular singing-competition show
American Idol, which premiered in 2013.
Early Life
Keith
Lionel Urban was born on October 26, 1967, in Whangarei, North Island, New
Zealand, and raised in Australia. The musician inherited a passion for American
country music from his parents.
By the
time he was a teenager, Keith Urban 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. In 1988, he debuted his first
album, which enjoyed success in his native Australia. It was time to cut his
teeth in Nashville.
Success in Nashville
Urban's
first Nashville band, the Ranch, made a huge splash, and the group released a
self-titled debut 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.
Solo Career
In 2000,
Urban released his first self-titled solo album, which featured the No. 1 hit
"But for the Grace of God." His second album, 2002's Golden Road,
included two more No. 1 singles: "Somebody Like You" and "Who
Wouldn't Want to Be Me." In 2001, he was named "Top New Male
Vocalist" at the Country Music Association Awards.
After
touring with the likes of Brooks & Dunn and Kenny Chesney, Urban headlined
his own tour in 2004. The following year, he was named the CMA's
"Entertainer of the Year," "Male Vocalist of the Year" and
"International Artist of the Year." In early 2006, Urban won his
first Grammy Award (best male country vocal performance) for "You'll Think
of Me." Also in 2006, he was received the CMA's "Male Vocalist of the
Year" and the Academy of Country Music's "Top Male Vocalist"
honors.
In June
2006, Urban married actress Nicole Kidman in their native Australia.
Personal Issues
Urban's
next album, Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing, was released in the
fall of 2006. Around the same time, the musician voluntarily checked himself
into a rehabilitation facility. "I deeply regret the hurt this has caused
Nicole and the ones that love and support me," Urban said in a statement,
according to People magazine. "One can never let one's guard down
on recovery, and I'm afraid that I have. With the strength and unwavering
support I am blessed to have from my wife, family and friends, I am determined
and resolved to a positive outcome."
While
struggling personally, Urban continued to thrive professionally. His 2006 album
spawned several hits, including "Once in a Lifetime" and "Stupid
Boy," which won a Grammy for best male country vocal performance in 2008.
Later in
2008, Urban released a greatest hits collection and toured extensively. That
summer, however, he took a break from his hectic schedule to celebrate a joyous
event: He and wife Nicole Kidman welcomed a baby girl on July 7, 2008, and
named her Sunday Rose Kidman Urban. "We want to thank everybody that has
kept us in their thoughts and prayers," Urban wrote on his website shortly
after Sunday Rose's birth. "We feel very blessed and grateful that we can
share this joy with all of you today."
Continued Success
Urban
continued his string of hits with another album, Defying Gravity, which
was released in March 2009 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200—his first
album to do so. The lead single off the album, "Sweet Thing,"
immediately hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts. The album's second single,
"Kiss a Girl," was performed during the season 8 finale of the
singing-competition show American Idol, as a duet with the show's
winner, Kris Allen.
In the
fall of 2009, Urban performed at the CMA Awards and received several honors for
his collaborative effort with country artist Brad Paisely: "Start a
Band." He was also named country music's "Favorite Male Artist"
at the American Music Awards. In 2010, Urban received his third Grammy Award
(best male country vocal performance), for the song "Sweet Thing." He
nabbed his fourth Grammy (best male country vocal performance) the following
year, for the single "'Til Summer Comes Around."
Away from American Idol, Urban has maintained his own career as one of country music's most popular stars. He released Fuse in 2013, which included "We Were Us," a duet with Miranda Lambert. "Cop Car" and "Somewhere In My Car" were two other successful songs from this album.
Clancy's comment: Many of our stars were born in another country, but we happily claim them. Love ya work, Keith!
I'm ...
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