Keith Urban Biography

Fast Facts

• Fuse, his fourth No․ 1 album, marked the first time that a male country artist had debuted at the top of the all-genre charts in the United States, Canada and Australia
• His song "Somebody Like You" was nominated for an Academy of Country Music Award in the single record of the year category in 2003
• Married Australian actress Nicole Kidman in 2006
• Began performing while a teen in his native Australia and would go on to win local talent contests including the Golden Guitar Award at the Tamworth Country Music Festival
• Released his debut album in 1991, four singles off of which charted in Australia, before moving to the United States
• Quote: "I have this need to keep country being perceived as a cool genre and a broad genre․ I really think country is a genre as big as rock and roll․"
• Quote: "A huge part of my confidence came from audience reaction․"
• Quote: "[on "Get Closer"] "The title comes from doing the opposite thing, which I was in the midst of doing in sobriety․ My instinct, when there's confrontation ․․․ [is to] go the other way ․․․ I'm going to do the exact opposite thing and see what happens․""
• After touring with The Ranch during the late '90s, he made his solo debut in America in 1999 with a self-titled album that was eventually certified platinum
• Was a mentor on Australia's version of "The Voice" before becoming a judge on "American Idol" in 2013
• A well-rounded instrumentalist, he can often be seen playing guitar, banjo, bass, mandolin, piano, sitar and drums