Keith Urban facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Keith Urban
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Urban in 2020
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Keith Lionel Urbahn
26 October 1967 Whangārei, New Zealand
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| Years active | 1990–present |
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| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
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| Origin | Caboolture, Queensland, Australia |
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Keith Lionel Urban (born Urbahn; 26 October 1967) is a famous country singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is from both Australia and America. Keith Urban has won many big awards, including four Grammy Awards. He also has 15 Academy of Country Music Awards and 13 CMA Awards.
Keith has released 11 studio albums. He also released one album with his band, The Ranch. He has had 18 songs reach number one on the US Hot Country Songs chart. Keith has worked with many different artists, like Pink, Nelly Furtado, Dolly Parton, and Carrie Underwood.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Keith Urban was born on 26 October 1967 in Whangārei, New Zealand. When he was two years old, his family moved to Caboolture, Queensland, Australia. Keith loved music from a young age. He got a ukulele at four and started playing guitar at six. His parents loved country music, which influenced him.
Keith took guitar lessons and started entering local music contests. He also acted in a local theater group. In 1983, Keith was on an Australian TV talent show called New Faces. He soon became part of the Australian country music scene. He performed on TV shows and won a Golden Guitar award.
Keith Urban's Musical Journey
Starting Out (1990-1998)
In 1990, Keith Urban signed with EMI in Australia. He released his first album, Keith Urban, that year. He also toured with famous Australian country singer Slim Dusty. Keith moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in the United States in 1992.
In 1997, he started a band called The Ranch. The band released one album and had two songs on the US country charts. Keith also played guitar on albums for other artists during this time.
Becoming a Solo Star (1999-2006)
Keith Urban released his first solo American album in 1999. It was also called Keith Urban. This album was a big success, selling over a million copies. His song "But for the Grace of God" became his first number one hit.
In 2002, he released his second American album, Golden Road. The first song from this album, "Somebody Like You", was number one for six weeks. Billboard magazine called it the biggest country hit of the 2000s. Another song from this album, "You'll Think of Me", won him his first Grammy Award in 2005.
His album Be Here came out in 2004. It became his best-selling album, selling four million copies. Songs like "Days Go By" and "Making Memories of Us" became number one hits.
More Hits and Tours (2007-2009)
In 2006, Keith released Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing. This album included the song "Stupid Boy", which won him his second Grammy Award. In 2007, he released his first collection of greatest hits.
In 2008, Keith toured with fellow country singer Carrie Underwood. He also released a new version of his popular song "You Look Good in My Shirt". Later that year, he teamed up with Brad Paisley for the song "Start a Band", which became a number one hit.
Keith's album Defying Gravity was released in 2009. It had several number one songs, including "Sweet Thing" and "Only You Can Love Me This Way".
Continued Success (2010-Present)
In 2010, Keith released the album Get Closer. This album had three number one hits: "Without You", "Long Hot Summer", and "You Gonna Fly".
Keith became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2012. This is a very special honor in country music. In 2013, he released his album Fuse. This album had many hit songs, including "We Were Us" with Miranda Lambert and "Raise 'Em Up" with Eric Church.
His album Ripcord came out in 2016. It featured popular songs like "Blue Ain't Your Color", which was number one for 12 weeks. He also sang "The Fighter" with Carrie Underwood.
In 2018, Keith released Graffiti U. This album included the song "Coming Home" with pop singer Julia Michaels. His latest album, The Speed of Now Part 1, was released in 2020. It features the song "One Too Many" with Pink. In 2024, he released his twelfth album, High.
TV Appearances
Keith Urban has also been a judge on popular singing competition shows.
The Voice (Australia)
In 2011, Keith was a coach on the Australian version of The Voice. He returned to the show in 2020 and 2022.
American Idol
From 2012 to 2016, Keith Urban was a judge on the American singing competition American Idol. He judged alongside other famous musicians like Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez.
Signature Guitar Line
In 2013, Keith Urban started selling his own line of guitars and accessories. He sold them through the Home Shopping Network (HSN). A part of the money from these sales helps music education charities.
Personal Life
Keith Urban is a citizen of both Australia and the United States. He met Australian actress Nicole Kidman in 2005. They got married on 25 June 2006 in Sydney, Australia.
Keith and Nicole have two daughters. Their first daughter was born in 2008. Their second daughter was born in 2010 through gestational surrogacy.
Albums and Tours
Studio Albums
- Keith Urban (1991)
- The Ranch (1997)
- Keith Urban (1999)
- Golden Road (2002)
- Be Here (2004)
- Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing (2006)
- Defying Gravity (2009)
- Get Closer (2010)
- Fuse (2013)
- Ripcord (2016)
- Graffiti U (2018)
- The Speed of Now Part 1 (2020)
- High (2024)
Concert Tours
Keith Urban has done many tours, playing for fans all over the world. Some of his major tours include:
- CMT on Tour: Keith Urban Be Here '04 (2004)
- Alive in '05 (2005)
- Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy World Tour (2007)
- Escape Together World Tour 2009 (2009)
- Get Closer 2011 World Tour (2011)
- Light the Fuse Tour (2013–14)
- ripCORD World Tour (2016–17)
- Graffiti U World Tour (2018–19)
- The Speed of Now World Tour (2022)
He has also co-headlined tours with artists like Carrie Underwood.
Awards and Honors
Keith Urban has received many awards for his music. In 2020, he was given the title of Officer of the Order of Australia. This was for his great work as a singer and songwriter, and for helping charities. In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine named him one of the 250 greatest guitarists of all time.
