Keith Urban Shares What He Thinks Is His Greatest Achievement
Thrilling country music fans to no end, Keith Urban recently announced his Speed of Now World Tour. The whirlwind trek will take him to the UK in May before returning to the U.S. for a cross-country series of concerts lasting through early November. Then, Urban will close out 2022 with various stops in his native Australia. Prior to the tour, the country megastar will be doing a brief residency at Caesar's Palace in Vegas; he is filling in for Adele, who postponed her own scheduled show at the casino resort (via KIRO7).
It's not a bad life for someone who began his career modestly in a local band in Australia before heading to Nashville (via Biography). The "Wild Hearts" singer was a recent guest on Reba McEntire's "Living the Dream," where he admitted that he really had no idea what he wanted out of his life other than to have his original music heard. "Some people come see us play our own music instead of covers that I'm playing," he said (via People). "That was it, that was the goal."
McEntire followed up by asking Urban what he thought his greatest achievement was. Fans might have expected him to mention his 19 Grammy nominations and four wins. Perhaps he might name his stint as a judge on "American Idol," helping discover and nurture the next generation of musical talent, or the time in 2011 when he played the pregame show of the Super Bowl (via Taste of Country). But, Urban had a more important milestone in mind.
Keith Urban values his marriage above anything else
Although there were "a lot of things" Keith Urban thought of mentioning as his greatest achievement, he told Reba McIntyre, "Marrying the right person was massive" (via PureWow). He was referring, of course, to his marriage to Nicole Kidman. The couple will celebrate their 16th wedding anniversary this summer, and they're the proud parents of daughters Faith Margaret and Sunday Rose.
Urban added that "getting sober" was another major accomplishment in his life. The country star once struggled with an alcohol and cocaine addiction, and actually found himself relapsing not long after his wedding. Kidman helped stage an intervention for her new husband, and he willingly went into rehab. "I caused the implosion of my fresh marriage," he told Rolling Stone. "It survived, but it's a miracle it did. I was spiritually awoken with her. I use the expression 'I was born into her,' and that's how I feel. And for the first time in my life, I could shake off the shackles of addiction."
The adoration is mutual. In an interview with "CBS Mornings," Kidman declared, "That man is the best thing that's ever happened to me." When Kidman recently received an Oscar nomination for her role as Lucille Ball in "Being the Ricardos," Urban was right there cheering her on. He tweeted, "Congrats on your OSCAR nomination, babygirl! SO proud of you & all that you poured into this dual role. ... Loving you always."