Checking in with KEITH URBAN
Birthdate: Oct. 26, 1967 Birthplace: Whangarei, New Zealand Current residence: Nashville Marital status: Married to actress Nicole Kidman; they have two daughters Other television credits include: “American Idol,” “The Voice,” “CMA Country Christmas,” “The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles,” “ACM Presents: Brooks & Dunn – The Last Rodeo,” “CMT Crossroads,” “Stand Up to Cancer” Movie credits include: “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me” On his rationale for musical success: “Long-term careers are a bit like sitting at a poker machine pulling the handle. The wins are very infrequent, so hopefully you love pulling the handle, because you’re going to be doing that more than anything else. Fortunately, I love writing songs and being in the studio, spending insane amounts of time making records – and not just banging out a few songs, but really laboring over every little nuance of the process. And then, touring ... outside of my family, that’s my primary love.” Favorite movie: “Lately, ‘Lion’ ... and for me, it’s separate from Nic (wife Nicole Kidman) being in the film. I remember when I watched it the first time, I walked away thinking, ‘That’s some grown-ups making a movie.’ It was extraordinary to watch what I felt was some greatness in filmmaking, and I think far more films of that quality and magnitude were made many, many years ago.”
Keith Urban, you’re the most-nominated talent in the 52nd Academy of Country Music Awards. How does it feel?
“It’s extraordinary,” the ex-“American Idol” judge says of his seven bids in the event that CBS will televise Sunday, April 2. “It’s a magical thing when you make records. Sometimes, there’s just other things at work and they connect in a much bigger way. I’ve always found those multi-nomination artists to be everybody else. I’ve been to many award shows were that’s always been someone else, and it’s just extraordinary for it to be for this album.”
“Ripcord” is the release in question, and album of the year (for which Urban is nominated as both artist and producer) is among the contests it’ll be in, as Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley reteam as hosts at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. Urban also is up for single (also as both artist and producer) and song of the year – for its cut “Blue Ain’t Your Color” – as well as for entertainer and male vocalist of the year.
“I couldn’t imagine myself thinking about awards when I’m making records,” the ever-friendly Urban maintains. “That would just be insane. The only thing I’m thinking about is just capturing the thing that I hear, that balancing act between maintaining a very clear vision for the record I’m trying to make, but also staying open to the muse that may take me in some different direction.”
In some cases, that muse is Urban’s wife: Oscar winner Nicole Kidman, who will be present to support her husband at the ACMs, just as he was for her when she was up for another Academy Award in February for “Lion.” “There’s something about going to a function where it’s nothing to do with your industry that I really enjoy,” he reflects. “I’m just the ‘plus one,’ tagging along as the husband, and so happy to be in that role. It’s a very different experience, in a lot of ways, from going to the music-award shows.”