Keith Urban is being honored at the 2025 ACM Awards. The New Zealand native will receive the prestigious Triple Crown Award, last given during the ACM Awards in 2010, to Carrie Underwood. Urban is eligible because he won Top New Male Vocalist in 2001, Male Vocalist of the Year in 2005 and 2006 and Entertainer of the Year in 2019.
Urban will be honored with musical tributes by Chris Stapleton, Megan Moroney, and Brothers Osborne.
“I came halfway around the world to live in Nashville,” Urban reflects to Billboard. “It was my dream since I was seven years old. All I ever wanted to do was write songs, try and get them recorded, try and get them on the radio, and now get them on streaming. And hopefully people like them and want to come and see me live. That’s never changed.”
Urban has amassed numerous awards and accolades in the last few decades, but if his is a success story, it’s an unlikely one. The 57-year-old hopes that he can inspire others that dreams can come true, with a lot of hard work and dedication.
“In particular, if it inspires some people from other countries who have a dream of coming to America, then that’s a good thing,” Urban maintains. “It took a lot of years of living in [Nashville] and becoming part of the community. But it’s absolutely achievable if you’re willing to put in the hard work and the time.”
Urban was first nominated for an ACM Award the year he won Top New Male Vocalist. For Urban then, just seeing his name among the list of nominees already felt like a massive win.
“I remember the first time seeing my name in the nominees,” Urban recalls. “It felt like when you go to the theme park and you can get your picture taken and put on the front of a fake Time magazine as a souvenir. I felt like that. It wasn’t real. It had that surreal quality.”
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Urban went on to win plenty of trophies, including Entertainer of the Year, one year before the pandemic changed everything for artists.
“I would just celebrate the nomination, not really thinking I’m going to win and I’m good with that. I was very content and grateful,” he says. “And so [to win]— and in hindsight, now, for it to happen the year before COVID— was particularly a wonderful blessing because it was a big night, an arena full of people celebrating.”
Urban is only a few weeks away from embarking on his long-awaited High and Alive World Tour. The tour includes a few new band members, making him especially excited to hit the road again.
“I’ve always just followed the inner voice that says it’s time to make a change, in any area of my life, and sort of just leap. Just take the leap,” Urban shared with Everything Nash and other outlets, during a recent media event. “I don’t always know where I’m going. It’s a little bit like playing live on stage. I don’t always know what I’m going to do next. There’s something exhilarating about living that way, and about performing that way.
“Again, we’ve been really lucky with this band,” he continued, “because we’ve got these five shows in February in Vegas that we got to do as a new band, and get some shows under our belt, before we get into rehearsals for our tour. I’m really looking forward to getting out with the new band, new songs, new production, new everything.”
Urban has a Top 40 hit with “Straight Line ,” from his latest HIGH album. Find music and tour dates at KeithUrban.com.
Reba McEntire will return for the second year in a row to host the 2025 ACM Awards. The 2025 ACM Awards will air live on Prime Video from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas on Thursday, May 8 at 8:00 PM ET. A very limited number of tickets are still available at SeatGeek. More information is available at ACMCountry.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the ACM