Keith Urban is a country musician and guitarist known not only in his native Australia, but also in the US and around the world for his soulful music.
The multiple Grammy Award winner began his musical career in Australia before moving to the US to try his luck there.
Born into a family of music lovers, Urban was exposed to country music from a young age and also gave guitar lessons.
As a teenager, he participated in and won several talent shows. He started playing for a local country band and developed his own unique style of music - a combination of rock guitar and country sound - which allowed him to carve out a niche in Australia.
He released an album and several singles in his country, which were met with great success. Due to his success, he moved to the USA to further his career.
He started his first band, The Ranch, but ended up leaving the group to focus on his solo career.
His self-titled solo debut album "Keith Urban" became a hit and the talented singer began to quickly win the hearts of his fans.
The versatile musician can also play acoustic guitar, banjo, bass guitar, piano and mandolin.
In 2001, he was named "Best Vocalist" by the CMA. He toured in 2004 and was named Artist of the Year the following year.
Urban won his first Grammy in 2006 and has received three more Grammys.
In 2012, he was selected as the new judge on the 12th season of the popular singing competition American Idol, and continued on the show until 2016.
early life
Keith Lionel Urban was born October 26, 1967 in Whangarei (North Island) in New Zealand, and grew up in Australia.
His parents loved American country music and encouraged the boy's musical passion.
He attended Edmund Hillary College in Otar, South Auckland but left school when he was 15 to pursue a career in music. By the age of 17, Keith Urban moved with his parents to Cabooltur, Australia.
His father arranged for him to take guitar lessons, which is how he learned to play. Keith participated in local music competitions and also performed with a musical group.
He has established himself in the Australian country music scene with regular appearances on the television program Reg Lindsay Country Homestead and other television programmes.
He also received a gold guitar at the Tamworth Country Music Festival along with his music partner Jenny Wilson.
His trademark style - a mixture of rock guitar and country music - was his highlight. In 1988 he debuted his first album which was a success in his native Australia.
Success in Nashville
Urban's first Nashville band was 'The Ranch'. It created a huge response, and in 1997 the band released their self-titled debut album to commercial recognition.
Soon after, the musician decided to leave the band to pursue his 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 "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 awarded the CMA "Male Vocalist of the Year" award and the "Top Male Vocalist" award from the Academy of Country Music.
In June 2006, Urban married actress Nicole Kidman in his native Australia.
Personal problems
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 into a rehabilitation center. "I deeply regret everything, especially the harm this has caused Nicole and those who love and support me," Urban said in a statement, according to People magazine.
“You can never give up on recovery, and I hope that I will succeed. With the strength and unwavering support I have received from my wife, family and friends, I am determined to achieve a positive outcome.”
Urban continued to struggle personally while continuing to thrive professionally.
His 2006 album spawned several hits including "Once in a Lifetime" and "Stupid Boy" which won a Grammy for Best Male 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 busy schedule to celebrate a happy occasion: on July 7, 2008, he and his wife, Nicole Kidman, welcomed a little girl and named her Sunday Rose Kidman Urban.
“We want to thank everyone who has kept us in their thoughts and prayers,” Urban wrote on his website shortly after the Sunday Rose was born.
“We feel very happy and grateful to be able to share this joy with all of you today.”
Continued success
Urban continued his hit streak 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 album's first single, "Sweet Thing", went straight to number one on the Billboard charts.
The album's second single "Kiss a Girl" was performed during the American Idol season 8 finale as a duet with show winner Chris Allen.
In the fall of 2009, Urban performed at the CMA Awards and received several awards for his collaboration with country artist Brad Paisley: "Start a group". He was also named "Favorite Country Artist" at the American Music Awards.
In 2010, Urban received his third Grammy Award (Best Male Vocals In The Country) for the song "Sweet Thing". The following year, he received his fourth Grammy (Best Male Vocals In The Country) on the single "Til Summer Comes Around".
In 2012, the musician was chosen as the new judge on the 12th season of American Idol, which premiered in January 2013.
Urban starred alongside Randy Jackson, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj in his debut season. But despite American Idol, Urban maintained his career as one of country music's most popular stars.
He later released Fuse in 2013, which included "We We Us Us", a duet with Miranda Lambert, as well as the tracks "Cop Car" and "Somewhere In My Car".
It was followed by two more successful albums: Ripcord (2016) and Graffiti U (2018).
