Keith Urban on touring the UK, his Vegas residency and who he's listening to right now
"I have an issue with the barriers in front of the stage. I like it when they can lean on the stage! That’s my kind of gig.”
Last updated 6th May 2022
Keith Urban is back in the UK and it's been worth the wait. Speaking to Baylen Leonard, Keith gushed about the UK crowds. “We’ve done two shows so far. It feels so good, the energy was way more than I thought we might get so I’m thrilled. These are fun places to play because of that, it’s a compact, explosive energy. We’re having a great time.”
Keith has played stadiums and to thousands of people, so it’s a nice change of pace to do some intimate shows over here. “I have an issue with the barriers in front of the stage, I’m like, why is it so far back from the stage and they go oh, it’s codes and stuff, do you want it closer? I like it when they can lean on the stage! That’s my kind of gig.”
Keith seems to hate barriers so much in fact, that he pulled fans up on stage. But how does he pick them? And how does he know they can sing? “You don’t. You see what happens, it could be a complete disaster. After years of playing clubs, you can pick the person’s vibe out in the crowd. You can feel their energy. The only time it goes astray is if they’re ruckus and rowdy down there, and I’m like cool, come on up, and then they just freeze up."
"But Paul in Birmingham was fantastic. Someone was having a birthday so I got her up, I think her name was Madison, and I sang her happy birthday, and there was another girl Sienna maybe, Madison goes that’s my dad out there, and there was Paul. I ask him what he does, and he goes I sing! I’m a DJ! Then get yourself up here.”
We’ve been playing Nightfalls on Absolute Radio Country, how have the crowd been responding to the new song? “The crowd knew all the words from the very first night. It only came out a little while ago. I’m surprised how fast people have gravitated toward the song. It’s very hook-y but I didn’t expect everybody to know it so fast so it’s a good sign.”
Keith is always championing new artists, but is there anyone in particular who has Keith excited right now? “I love Breland because we’ve collaborated on quite a few things and he’s starting to get on lots of collabs which is great." (Check out their song, Throw It Back, below). "I really like Morgan Wade, she’s got so much edge and grit. Cody Johnson, there’s a kid in Nashville called Billy Strings who I absolutely love as well. He’s crazy talented, and a fusion of everything.”
You know you've made it in music when you do a Vegas residency, and Keith is in the midst of his. “We signed up to do a residency at Caesar’s Palace and we were going to do 20-something shows in 2020. We did a couple shows then everything stopped, we sat around for 2 years waiting for our residency. In September 2021 we did about five shows then we were going to resume in May of this year, but in January we got a call asking if we could fill in a bunch of Adele dates so it put us in there a month earlier.”
But any fans hoping for Keith in a feather boa and sequins might be disappointed. “We have great production there but it’s all about connecting with the audience. For me the core base is me and the audience getting to know each other.”
Country music was recently shocked by the sudden passing of Naomi Judd. “I’ve met Wynonna and Ashley a couple of times, I think I met Naomi briefly once, I didn’t know her but it was devastating. I’m a huge fan of The Judds. I played in a lot of bands where we’d have a female singer, so we’d always cover a Judd song.”
During his Manchester show, Keith honoured Naomi with a beautiful rendition of The Judds' iconic song, "Love Can Build A Bridge".
Read next: The women who shaped country music
The Chicks
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Mother Maybelle Carter and the Carter Family
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Alison Krauss
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Linda Ronstadt
Dolly Parton, when speaking of her friend and collaborator once said: "Linda can sing anything". High praise, indeed. And if you look at the breadth of her discography, Miss Parton wasn't lying. While Linda Ronstadt got her start in the Los Angeles rock scene (did you know her old back up band was none other than the Eagles?), her transition into country left a huge impact with albums such as 'Heart Like A Wheel', 'Simple Dreams' and 'Trio' with Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton. A huge influence on Maren Morris, Linda proved that blending genres doesn't kill your career - it defines it.
Faith Hill
A powerhouse vocalist and talented entertainer, Faith Hill is one of the artists that first comes to mind when people talk about the golden era of country music - the 1990s. Although she stepped back from recording and performing in the mid-2000s to spend more time with her family, this crossover artist has no shortage of hits.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is proof that quality over quantity gets you far. Although she only released four country albums, the teenager shook the world when she burst onto the scene in the late 2000s. Any millennial and Gen Z country fan will count her as an influence. The icon proved that age is just a number by sweeping the Grammy's, CMA's and breaking records before she turned 20.
Kitty Wells
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Shania Twain
Shania Twain is one of a handful of artists the world over people will instantly recognise as a country music singer. One of the most successful artists of all time, Twain has influenced an entire generation of country artists and despite her hiatus from music after losing her voice, continues to bust down barriers and uplift her fellow female artists.
Dolly Parton
This one is fairly self-explanatory. Dolly Parton may be tiny, but she's a country music giant. Almost every country artist has been influenced by her. She blazed a trail for female songwriters and artists. Know a little song called 'I Will Always Love You'? She turned down Elvis Presley, who wanted the publishing rights. There's really nothing Dolly can't do, she's beloved by all and a prolific songwriter and recording artist. And at 75, she shows no sign of slowing down.
Loretta Lynn
In a career which spans six decades in country music, Loretta Lynn has played a groundbreaking role in country music. Not only is she the most awarded female country artist, but the only woman to be award ACM Artist of the Decade (1970s). Her songs depicted birth control, domestic violence and female struggles in the 1960s which was unheard of. She was the first woman in country music to receive a certified gold album and the first woman named "Entertainer of the Year" by the Country Music Association.
Emmylou Harris
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Kacey Musgraves
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The Judds
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Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire has released 33 studio albums and racked up an impressive 24 Number 1 singles since her career began in the 70s. Often referred to as "The Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Her musical style blended genres lines of traditional country music, pop, soul and R&B. Reba is regarded as one of country music's most influential female vocalists and beloved entertainers.
Carrie Underwood
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Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline is without a doubt one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. She was one of the first country music artists to successfully cross over into pop music and had several major hits during her eight-year recording career. Despite her flourishing career being cut short when she tragically died in a plane crash at the age of 30, Cline remains a trailblazer for women in country music. She was among the first to sell records and headline concerts and in 1973, Cline became the first female performer to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Mickey Guyton
Mickey Guyton might not be a household name, but listen to her sing and you'll be wondering why she isn't. Country music has long excluded and silenced artists of colour, and while artists such as Charley Pride and Darius Rucker have enjoyed success, Guyton's status as a black woman means that many of the gatekeepers shut her out. But times are changing. In 2020, she became the first black solo female artist to be nominated in the country music category at the Grammy's for her poignant hit, 'Black Like Me'. Without Linda Martell and Rissi Palmer, among others, we wouldn't have Mickey Guyton. The lasting impact Mickey will have on country music is yet to be seen, but this mind-blowing talent is paving the way, not for her own dreams, but for those who come after her.
Miranda Lambert
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Maren Morris
Maren Morris came along a time when 'bro country' was the order of the day, and women weren't getting any radio play and being left off festival headline slots. Morris is changing that. Nominated for multiple Grammy's since her debut, Maren is changing the face, sound and voice of country music with her hits, 'The Bones' and 'My Church'. Standing on the shoulders of the women who came before her, Maren is expanding the idea of what country music is, and who can be a fan.
Tammy Wynette
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