Urban was born in Whangarei, North Island, New Zealand (on 26 October, 1967). Before he turned two years old his family moved to Australia. By age seven, Urban was already thinking about emigrating to America and making his mark in Nashville. Urban began to learn the guitar at age six and began winning talent contests at age eight. By twelve he was booking his band in local clubs, and at fifteen he quit school to hit the road. In 1990, Urban signed with EMI in Australia and recorded his first solo album, which charted four No. 1 country hits in Australia. In 1992, he moved to Nashville to pursue the largest country music market in the world. Originally the front man for The Ranch, a three-piece group that released one album in 1997 to critical acclaim, Urban disbanded the group to pursue a solo career.
In the late 90's Urban battled an addiction to cocaine. After reaching a personal rock bottom in 1998, he became determined to give up the habit and checked into Cumberland Heights, a treatment center in Nashville. After cleaning up, Urban released his self-titled American debut in 2000, achieving three top 5 hits and securing the title of Top New Male Vocalist Award at the 2001 Academy of Country Music Awards. Urban, openly regarded as a modern day guitar virtuoso, has performed as a session musician on albums such as Garth Brooks' Double Live and the Dixie Chicks' Fly.
In an attempt to gain more exposure, Keith then appeared semi-nude in an interview for Playgirl magazine's April 2001 issue. The publicity attempt worked as Keith was on the cover of the magazine's readers' most requested issue.
Keith Urban released Golden Road in 2002, and the success of the single "Somebody Like You" sent his career into high gear. The single spent eight consecutive weeks at the top of the charts, remaining at No. 1 longer than any other country artist in 2002. Three other singles were released, two went to No. 1 and the third was No. 3. The album went platinum in every country where it has been released and is triple platinum in the United States. In 2004 Be Here was released and nominated for best country album at the Grammy Awards and at the Academy of Country Music Awards. Out of the five singles released from Be Here, three went No. 1, and two fell just shy of that mark to land at No. 2. In 2006 the album went triple platinum in the U.S. Urban has also released Days Go By, a greatest hits collection, in Europe. With a career total of 13 singles released, seven singles went to No. 1, two went to No.2, two went to No.3, one went to No. 4, and one went to No.18.
Touring as a supporting act for renowned country acts Brooks & Dunn and Kenny Chesney honed Urban's skills and stage-craft. Country video channel CMT signed on as the title sponsor of Keith Urban's first headlining arena tour titled Keith Urban Be Here '04. Urban continued his meteoric rise to fame in 2005 with the very successful Alive in '05 tour. He performed in the Live 8 Philadelphia concert on July 2, 2005 and had been chosen by The Gap to appear alongside seven other musical stars in their "Favorites" campaign. In 2005 he was named CMA's Entertainer of the Year. He released a DVD in late September entitled Livin' Right Now, recorded in California on December 2004. Urban performed "Better Life" on the CMA Awards and "You'll Think of Me" on the American Music Awards. He also performed at the Grammys playing "You'll Think of Me" and "The Lucky One" with Faith Hill. At the 2006 ACM Awards Urban gave two performances when he performed "Tonight I Wanna Cry" and played guitar for Brooks & Dunn's song "Believe."
Personal life
On arriving in Nashville, Tennessee in 1992, Urban quickly fell for veterinary technician Laura Sigler. The pair shared an on-off relationship from 1992, and lived together between 1998 and 2002. Urban paid tribute to Sigler in the sleeve notes to his self-titled first hit album, and dedicated love song "You're The Only One" to Sigler, writing "For Laura" at the bottom of the lyrics. After proposing to Sigler in 2001, the pair broke up in 2002.
In 2002, after his painful breakup with Sigler, Urban met supermodel Niki Taylor, who played his love interest in his music video for "Somebody Like You." Taylor had told her hair/makeup person, Debra Wingo, that she might be interested in being in a country music video. Wingo also does hair/makeup for Urban, and she mentioned that he was getting ready to do a video. Urban and Taylor dated on and off for three years until their split was officially announced July 2005.
Urban met actress Nicole Kidman at an event in Hollywood in January of 2005. In May of 2006, Urban and Kidman announced their engagement, and their plans to wed in Australia. They got married in Australia on 25 June 2006 at the Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel in the grounds of St Patrick's Estate, Manly, Sydney.
God Whispered Your Name
Keith Urban Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And nothing seemed to ring true
I couldn't bear the cross
For everything I'd been through
And each day, I knew I needed change
But there was no way, no way
And then God whispered your name
And love came out of the rain
And talk about being saved
Suddenly I wanna live
More than I ever did
I'm never gonna be the same
When God whispered your name
I can see the sunshine
For the first time in a while
Girl, it's like I've been baptized
By the warmth of your smile, mm
Well, call it fate or faith or call it crazy either way
It's amazin', amazin' grace
When God whispered your name
That's when everything changed
Love came out of the rain
Talk about being saved
Well, suddenly I wanna live
More than I ever did
I'm never gonna be the same
When God whispered your name
It's just what I needed to hear, baby
It couldn't have been more loud and clear
When God whispered your name
That's when everything changed
Love came out of the rain (out of the rain)
And talk about being saved
Oh, suddenly I wanna live
More than I ever did
I'm never gonna be the same
When God whispered your name, oh yeah
(Hallelujah, Hallelujah)
(Hallelujah)
Ooh, Hallelujah, baby
(Hallelujah) Oh yeah, mmm (Hallelujah)
(Hallelujah)
Ooh yeah
I can see the sunlight shinin' through your pretty eyes, baby
(Hallelujah) Woo! Mmm (Hallelujah)
I like a man who leaves, time feels like hell
(Hallelujah)
Got my hands up high, I got my hands up to the sky
(Hallelujah, Hallelujah)
Ooh, I'm sayin' thank you
(Hallelujah)
(Hallelujah, Hallelujah)
(Hallelujah)
Keith Urban's song God Whispered Your Name depicts the power of love and how it can change a person's life. The persona is lost and cannot seem to find a way out, but everything changes when God whispers the name of the person he fell in love with. The lyrics indicate a transformation that takes place, filling the persona's life with love that shines through the rain. The message is portrayed through Urban's voice and the instruments used, which showcase a positive and uplifting tone.
The chorus of the song indicates the turning point in the persona's life, emphasizing the role of their significant other, who saves them. The line "And love came out of the rain," may indicate a metaphorical reference to difficult experiences that brought the persona down, but they were saved once love entered their life. The persona realizes that they want to live more than they ever did before, transforming their outlook on life completely. The song's message is empowering and hopeful, and it reminds listeners that love can change one's life.
Line by Line Meaning
I was so cold and lost
I was going through a really tough time, feeling isolated and uncertain.
And nothing seemed to ring true
I couldn't find anything to believe in, everything was hollow.
I couldn't bear the cross
I was struggling to cope with my problems and didn't feel strong enough to deal with anything else.
For everything I'd been through
I had been through a lot of difficult experiences that had left me feeling wounded and weary.
And each day, I knew I needed change
I was aware that something needed to shift in my life, but I didn't know how to make it happen.
But there was no way, no way
It felt impossible to bring about the changes I knew I needed.
And then God whispered your name
Something shifted when I met you, something deep and profound that I can't fully explain.
And that's when everything changed
You turned my whole world around, and suddenly everything felt different.
And love came out of the rain
Your love gave me hope and nourishment, like a fresh rain in the desert.
And talk about being saved
You saved me in ways I can't describe, giving me a new lease on life and a renewed sense of purpose.
Suddenly I wanna live
I feel fully alive for the first time in a long time, with a new sense of energy and vitality.
More than I ever did
I have a new appreciation for life and all its possibilities.
I'm never gonna be the same
You changed me forever, and I can never go back to the person I was before.
It's just what I needed to hear, baby
You were the missing piece that I had been searching for, the answer to my prayers.
It couldn't have been more loud and clear
Your impact on my life was immediate and profound, unmistakable in its power.
I can see the sunshine
Your love has cleared away the clouds and allowed me to see the beauty and brightness of life again.
For the first time in a while
I had been struggling to find joy and hope, but your love changed that.
Girl, it's like I've been baptized
Your love made me feel born again, giving me a fresh start and a renewed sense of faith.
By the warmth of your smile
Your smile had the power to warm my heart and fill me with love and happiness.
Well, call it fate or faith or call it crazy either way
I don't know how to explain what happened, but I just know it was meant to be.
It's amazin', amazin' grace
Your love was an incredible gift that I didn't deserve, a grace that humbled me and gave me strength.
Ooh, Hallelujah, baby
I feel so grateful and joyful, like singing out in thanksgiving and praise.
I like a man who leaves, time feels like hell
I'm so grateful that you came into my life, because life without you would be unbearable.
Got my hands up high, I got my hands up to the sky
I feel so blessed and inspired by your love that I want to lift my hands up in celebration and worship.
Ooh yeah
I'm so happy and grateful to have you in my life.
Hallelujah
Praise God for bringing us together and blessing us with this incredible love.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Blake Carter, Chris Megert, James Slater, Micha Carter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rebecca Smith
I was so cold and lost
And nothing seemed to ring true
I couldn't bear the cross
For everything I'd been through
And each day, I knew I needed change
But there was no way, no way
And then God whispered your name
And that's when everything changed
And love came out of the rain
And talk about being saved
Suddenly I wanna live
More than I ever did
I'm never gonna be the same
When God whispered your name
I can see the sunshine
For the first time in a while
Girl, it's like I've been baptized
By the warmth of your smile, mm
Well, call it fate or faith or call it crazy either way
It's amazin', amazin' grace
When God whispered your name
That's when everything changed
Love came out of the rain
Talk about being saved
Well, suddenly I wanna live
More than I ever did
I'm never…
Source: LyricFind
Full lyrics
C B
This song makes me so emotional. To everyone reading this, you’re loved, you’re worth so much than you know. God has something special for you. It comes unexpectedly. Have Faith. 🙏🏼❤️
magpie
Thanks and you to stay safe things will get better 🥰🥰🤠🤠🔊🎼🎶🎶🎵🎵
emilia lating
Amen
Nick Fisher
Jesus is Lord
Sherri Kemp
Amen 🙏
QUEENBEESWORLD
I’m a Black Woman who loves Keith Urban and Country music!! I don’t care what people say or think. Country music it’s good for your soul❤️
I feel like God whispered my name✝️
Brenda Simons
Love music, love each other❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Rob Smith
Why does it matter what color you are…. Geese!!! Focus on something other than skin color for a while !
A
Im a full on hip hop loving black man, but this song is awesome and already picked to be my wedding song next month. 🎉
HeiressoftheLight
@QUEENBEESWORLD 😍😌💓❤️💓👊🛐✌️😘❌⭕💞💞💞💞💞
AWWWW YOU ARE SO PRECIOUS AND SWEET! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I HOPE GOD BLESSES YOU REAL GOOD. GOD DEFINITELY KNOWS YOUR NAME! SENDING HUGS AND MUCH LOVE! 🤝💕🛐