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.
Song for Dad
Keith Urban Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I say the same things he used to say
And I even find myself acting the very same way
I tap my fingers on the table
To the rhythm in my soul
And I jingle the car keys
When I'm ready to go
When I look in the mirror
Starin' back at me and I realize
[Chorus]
The older I get
The more I can see
How much he loved my mother and my brother and me
And he did the best that he could
And I only hope when I have my own family
That everyday I see
A little more of my father in me
There were times I thought he was bein'
Just a little bit hard on me
But now I understand he was makin' me
Become the man he knew that I could be
In everything he ever did
He always did with love
And I'm proud today to say I'm his son
When somebody says I hope I get to meet your dad
I just smile and say you already have
[Chorus]
He's in my eyes
My heart, my soul
My hands, my pride
And when I feel alone
And I think I can't go on
I hear him sayin' "Son you'll be alright"
Everything's gonna be alright"
Yes it is
The older I get
The more I can see
That he loved my mother and my brother and me
And he did the best that he could
And I only hope when I have my own family
That everyday I see
Oh I hope I see
I hope everyday I see
A little more of my father in me
A little more of my father in me
I hope everyday I see in me
In me
In me
I hope everyday I see
A little more of my father in me
In this song, Keith Urban reflects on his father's influence and legacy in his life. He describes how he has noticed that he is becoming more and more like his father as he grows older, both in his words and deeds. He acknowledges that his father was sometimes tough on him, but that he now understands why, as he was trying to shape him into the man he knew he could be.
The chorus reveals the main theme of the song, which is the importance of family and the lasting impression that parents can leave on their children. Urban expresses his gratitude for the love and sacrifices that his father made for his family, and while recognizing that he may not be a perfect parent himself, he strives to emulate his father's example and do the best that he can for his own future family.
Overall, the song is a heartfelt tribute to the bond between fathers and sons and highlights the ways in which parents can inspire and shape the lives of their children.
Line by Line Meaning
Lately I've been noticing
Recently, I have begun to observe
I say the same things he used to say
I use the same phrases and expressions that my father used to use
And I even find myself acting the very same way
I behave in the same manner as my father did
I tap my fingers on the table
I rhythmically tap my fingers on a surface
To the rhythm in my soul
It is the rhythm within my soul that guides my finger tapping
And I jingle the car keys
I make the car keys jingle by shaking them
When I'm ready to go
I jingle the car keys when I am prepared to leave
When I look in the mirror
Whenever I gaze at the mirror
He's right there in my eyes
I can see my father in my own eyes
Starin' back at me and I realize
As I see him in my eyes, I become aware that he is a part of me
The older I get
With increasing age
The more I can see
I am able to see more clearly
How much he loved my mother and my brother and me
I come to appreciate the extent of his love for my family
And he did the best that he could
My father tried his hardest
And I only hope when I have my own family
I only wish that when I have a family of my own
That everyday I see
I have the opportunity to observe everyday
A little more of my father in me
I witness more of my father's qualities within myself
There were times I thought he was bein'
Sometimes I felt he was being
Just a little bit hard on me
A bit too strict with me
But now I understand he was makin' me
But now I grasp that he was helping me
Become the man he knew that I could be
To attain the potential he knew I possessed as a man
In everything he ever did
In everything my father undertook
He always did with love
He always endeavored with affection
And I'm proud today to say I'm his son
I feel proud today to proclaim myself as his son
When somebody says I hope I get to meet your dad
When someone expresses their desire to meet my father
I just smile and say you already have
I respond with a smile, saying that they have already come across him
He's in my eyes
He is reflected in my eyes
My heart, my soul
He resides within my heart and soul
My hands, my pride
His presence is felt in my hands and my pride
And when I feel alone
During times when I sense solitude
And I think I can't go on
When I consider the possibility of giving up
I hear him sayin' "Son you'll be alright"
I hear his voice consoling me, saying "Everything will turn out alright"
Everything's gonna be alright"
"Everything will be alright"
Yes it is
That statement is true
Oh I hope I see
I earnestly hope to witness
I hope everyday I see
Everyday, I yearn to see
A little more of my father in me
A little more of my father within myself
A little more of my father in me
A little more of my father within myself
I hope everyday I see in me
Everyday, I hope to observe within myself
In me
Within myself
In me
Within myself
I hope everyday I see
Everyday, I hope to observe
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KEITH LIONEL URBAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Redd Lyte
Enjoy your father while you can. The worst thing you can do, is take the ones you love for granted. For o ne day, they won't be there anymore, and you'll wish with every inch of your soul that you could just hear their voice, or their hand on your shoulder. Losing a father is tough, hell, losing anyone is tough. So please just love with everything you have, don't hold grudges, and tell your family you love them. I hope you all have a wonderful day. Keep your head up. And know you're not alone out there.
kingbro2
Been there lost both my mom and dad they where tough but i feel them every where i go
Outlaw88
I wish I'd seen this before my dad passed. It hurts worse than I ever imagined. I wish I could go back .
Sugaaa Cruzzz
I do wanna enjoy having a father but he doesn’t wanna enjoy having a daughter Nd that hurts more then anything I have ever been through
ABC Playtime Secret V2
@MRB I’m sorry about that
ABC Playtime Secret V2
@fnafgamertheone vlogs :( That’s not good
Jamie Brueske
I lost my dad about a week ago. It hurts terribly. You never no the loss of a parent until it happens to you. ☹️
Tia Marija
Im so sorry... i dont even wanna think about that i likely will have to deal with this one day...
John Lucas
@fiery angel so sorry for your loss thats a lot
MIKENNIKE :3
Me too