keith urban On his new country-rock album, “High,” he reveals the joys and struggles of his life.
Last Friday, the 56-year-old singer released his 11th studio album, his first new record in four years. During a recent interview The Associated Press, Urdan explained how “High” reflects the dual aspects of his personality.
Urban said, “I have a conscientious, responsible, reliable side. And I have this animalistic, wild, reckless, irresponsible side, like, ‘What does this button do?’.” “The spirit of those two things is a huge part of my personality, and hopefully this album reflects that.”
Keith Urban reveals he also has an ‘animalistic, wild, reckless, irresponsible’ side. (Maggie Friedman/Variety via Getty Images)
four times Grammy Award Winner first announced his new album in an Instagram post in June. He wrote that “High” is “based on a previous record I started in 2022.” Urban previously revealed that he had completed another record called “615,” which he ultimately abandoned after being dissatisfied with the result.
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In his Instagram post, Urban explained that “High” is “completely expressive, true, honest and… more than what I wanted to say when I made that scrapped record.”
He added, “I hope these songs bring you joy, lightness, some new understanding, energy and liberation!”
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In a press release, Urban explained that the new album’s title was inspired by his interpretation of the multifaceted meaning of the word “high”.
“What makes you ‘high’ can mean whatever you want it to mean,” he said. “It could be physical, spiritual, herbal, meditative, chemical or musical, but it’s definitely a utopian place.”
He adds, “For me it’s my family, my friends and this rollercoaster musical journey I’m on. Playing guitar, writing songs and the place where I always feel elevated – performing live. Every night I get to bring energy and liberation to people.”
Having overcome a challenging past, Urban is now a happily married family man. The singer and Nicole Kidman, The couple, who got married in 2006, have two daughters – Sunday Rose, 16, and Faith Margaret, 13.
Urban has also been sober for 18 years after entering rehab for a third time shortly after his marriage to Kidman.
The singer and Nicole Kidman have been married since 2006. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for WarnerMedia)
However, Urban revealed in a recent interview with The Daily Telegraph that he wanted his new album to encompass an entire period of his life. “High” includes songs about Urban’s partying days, struggles with addiction, and growing up with an alcoholic father.
“I have a dutiful, responsible, reliable side. And I have this animalistic, wild, reckless, irresponsible side, ‘What does this button do?'”
Urban told the Daily Telegraph that Music video His song “Messed Up as Me” is set in the time period “from 2.45 a.m. until sunrise”.
“A lot of things happen in those hours, and I’m present in every scene,” he said.
“I have a lot of things to do, you know,” Urban said. “This record is definitely not just about where I am; that would make it a very linear record.
“Certainly, I’ve lived a life, and been a part of a lot of people, and a lot of those people are represented in these songs.”
Urban releases his new album “High” on September 20th. (Christopher Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images)
Speaking to The Associated Press, Urban explained that it was important to him that the album conclude with the song “Break the Chains”, in which he highlights chaotic family dynamics.
“A lot of it has to do with my father and being born into a family that had Drunk father And he also spoke about the challenges that come with it. “My job now is probably to break that chain and do something different.”
Urban added, “But I didn’t mention alcohol once in the song, because I didn’t want the song to be about alcohol.”
“It’s really about behavioral patterns that we all learn very early on so that we can survive in whatever environment we’re in.”
Urban told the AP that he wrote the song “Break the Chains” with singer-songwriter Marc Sibilia the day they first met and hit it off without much conversation. The second line that came to Urban’s mind was “Never know/What made them so angry at the world/Angry at me/I was just a kid/I wouldn’t do that.”
The “Someboy Like You” hitmaker recalled that his emotional reaction was quite intense after writing the song.
“I burst into tears on the guy’s couch, absolutely curled up in the fetal position, like I was in therapy,” Urban recalled.
“He looks at it and says, ‘Hmm, that must be true,'” she said of Siblia. “And then went back to work. And it was the perfect response, because it wasn’t judgmental. It wasn’t an opinion. And he just let me be in it and finish the song. And then that was it.”
However, Urban said that like all of the songs on “High”, from tracks that are clear and melodic to others that may focus on more complex emotions, it is “a hopeful song.”
“It offers hope and a way out of a situation that many people can find themselves in,” he said.
The musician has spoken openly about his past struggle with addiction. (Terry Wyatt/WireImage)
Over the past several years, Urban has spoken openly about his journey to sobriety after battling drug and alcohol addiction.
In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2021, Urban recalled that his troubles began after he moved to Nashville from Australia, where he had previously released four hit albums. Urban explained that he felt like an outsider as a foreigner trying to make it Country Music Scene.
“Everything I had done before made no sense,” he says. “I felt I was meant to be here, I had this conviction in my heart, but I was disconnected from everything. I mean, when you’re doing your best, and it’s not enough, what do you do?”
“I loved it when I was on stage, but if I wasn’t on stage, I felt very insecure,” he said. “I felt like I had nothing to offer. I was just a stranger.”
Urban recalled that a painful breakup with a woman left him saying “you lost your cool” and causing him to spiral into addiction.
“You could say, ‘Big deal.’ But I was feeling insecure, and the fact that me and my accent would be a new thing to anybody was hurting me inside,” he said. “Oh my god. Really bad. It devastated me. It was a turning point. After that, everything started to get really messed up.”
“I started drinking more,” he added. “I started doing more drugs. Yeah, man. The whole last part of the ’90s was horrible.”
Urban struggled for years to find a foothold in the country music industry before finding success with his debut album in 1999. (Scott Barber/Getty Images)
After struggling for several years, Urban made a fresh start in his career in 1999 when he released his debut album. The album recorded four singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and was certified platinum, catapulting Urban to country music stardom.
Despite finding career success, Urban struggled with alcohol and drug addiction.
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“It took me a long time to get over my addiction,” he told Rolling Stone. “It took me a long time to recognize my addiction. It took a long time, because I didn’t drink like my dad, so I compared everything to him. So it took me a long time. But I was finally able to make the right choices in my life that I wish my dad would have made.”
In 2015, Urban’s father, Robert, died after a long battle with prostate cancer.
After two failed attempts at rehabilitation, Urban was finally able to overcome his addiction problem. Married to Kidman Four months after their wedding, Kidman staged an intervention, and Urban agreed to go to rehab.
“That’s the point where he really should have just walked away,” Urban told Oprah Winfrey in 2010. “I’m so glad he didn’t, and that he made the decision to turn back and ultimately start this intervention, and it was done in a way that was absolutely loving in that room at that moment. I was like, ‘Cuffs on, let’s go.'”
Urban said he agreed to go to rehab for a third time after Kidman intervened. (ANGELA WEIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Speaking to Rolling Stone , Urban said it was a “miracle” that his marriage survived.
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“I had a spiritual awakening with her,” the singer said of Kidman. “I use the expression ‘I was born with her’ and that’s how I feel. And for the first time in my life, I was able to break free from the shackles of addiction.”
In June 2024, Urban paid an emotional tribute to Kidman when she was honored with the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award. The couple’s daughters, Sunday and Faith, joined their parents at the star-studded event that marked their lives. Red carpet debut.
Urban and Kidman’s daughters Sunday and Faith made their red carpet debut in June. (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
During his speech at the ceremony, Urban described how Kidman’s love for him remained strong despite the difficulties in their marriage.
“We got married in June 2006, and just four months after we were married, my addiction, which I had done nothing about, destroyed our marriage and I went into the Betty Ford Center for three months,” he told the crowd.
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“Four months after the wedding, I’m in rehab for three months, I don’t know what’s going to happen to us,” she added. “And if you want to see what love really looks like, give it a try.”
“Nick shut down every negative voice, I’m sure, even some of his own,” Urban said. “And he chose love. And here we are tonight, 18 years later.”
Video of the speech showed Kidman wiping away tears as she sat in the audience next to Sunday and Faith.
Urban said the secret to their lasting marriage is “always putting family first.” (John Shearer/Getty Images for CMA)
Ahead of performing at the 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards, Urban shared The secret of their successful union.
“Family always comes first,” he said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“It’s balanced, so that means sometimes it gets out of balance, and we bring it back into balance,” Urban said. “It’s never perfectly in balance, but we get it back on track.”
