Keith Urban brought the energy to the CMT Music Awards. The singer-songwriter performed “Straight Line,” the debut single from his forthcoming new album, dropping a hint at the beginning of his performance. Urban yelled “5-3-24” at the start of his performance, hopefully alluding to a release date for his new album.
Ahead of his performance, Urban shared why singing the high-energy song at the CMT Music Awards, which marked his 20th performance at the live event, was so important to him.
“It’s the first single off the new album, called ‘Straight Line,'” Urban said. “We haven’t played it on any show before, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Urban also explained the story behind the song, which he wrote with Chase McGill, Jerry Flowers and Greg Wells.
“It’s about getting your life back,” Urban said. “It’s about breaking up the monotony and routine, and realizing at some point, life and circumstance and routine has drained all of the color and excitement out of your life, and you just want to get it back again.”
When Urban released “Straight Line,” he said he especially loved the song when he was able to perform it in front of a crowd.
“I just loved the spirit of it,” Urban explained. “I think if anybody has seen us play live, this song for me captures a lot of that feeling of what I’m trying to create in the room that we’re playing in, the feeling I want people to have. I felt like ‘Straight Line’ has that feeling about it, and it seemed like a perfect first song.”
“Straight Line” is the first song released from his next album, one that was a lengthy labor of love for him. The New Zealand native previously revealed that he spent an entire year making a record, only to scrap it and start over when he realized it wasn’t right.
“It started off as a different record,’ Urban shared. “I saved four songs from that first album, and moved them over to this one, because I just knew it wasn’t the right record. And then, these songs kind of taught me what the other songs should be, and then it just flowed. It flowed so easily and so right.”
Urban has a Top 40 hit with “Messed Up As Me,” the first official single from his next set of tunes.
“Let’s put it this way: most of us have been in dysfunctional relationships before, where there’s not a lot of compatibility, except for that one area where it’s so good you put up with all the rest,” Urban said when the song was released. “A phone call or a night out and you’re right back where you shouldn’t be.”
In addition to finalizing details on his new album, Urban is also serving as a Mega Mentor on The Voice this season. Find all of his music and upcoming shows at KeithUrban.com.
Photo Credit: Getty Images for CMT
