Keith Urban is recalling the moment that led him to Nashville. After honing his craft as a singer-songwriter in Australia, where he was raised, Urban desperately wanted to make the move to Music City, but needed a bit of encouragement, which came from an unlikely place.
”When I first came to town in 1989 and shopped a demo around, looking back, no wonder nobody made it through the first two verses,” Urban recalls. “I was just so out of place. I didn’t feel like I was, but I got some good support. And a girl named Mary Martin, who worked at RCA at the time – ut of all of the people that I met, she was the only one that sent me a letter. It might have been a stock industry letter, I don’t know, but I love the fact that she sent me one in Australia.”
For most people, the letter would have been discouraging. But for Urban, it was just enticing enough to inspire him to make the move.
“I’m paraphrasing it a bit, but she talked about the fact that — this is in 1989 — she said, ‘I listened to your demo, and I really appreciated your music,'” Urban remembers. “She said, ‘Country music is in a particularly traditional swing right now.’ I think [it] was basically, she talked about it being a traditional period in country, which it was. Clint Black was No. 1. And she said, ‘So, your music’s a little out of step, but I hope you find a home here.’
“That was all I needed to hear was just like, ‘Good. It’s the right place, and it’ll take a while,'” he adds. “That’s kind of what I took from the letter, so it was totally inspirational for me.”
View this post on Instagram
Keith Urban Reveals His 2026 Goals
Urban has big goals for 2026, both personally and professionally. The 58-year-old is focusing on positivity in the new year, after splitting from his former wife, Nicole Kidman, in 2025.
“A friend of mine said, just work on how you introduce yourself to the day,” Urban tells his producer, Dann Huff (via Parade). “I thought that was an absolutely beautiful phrase. He said to me, ‘How do you introduce yourself to the day, every day?’ And I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I love that. I love that… You get to do it every day.”
“That’s where I’m at,” he adds. “Simplifying. Simplifying is my journey this year.”
Professionally, Urban also wants to become even better at his guitar skills, a surprising goal since he is already considered one of the best guitar players of all time.
“Guitar-playing-wise, I’d like to work on playing less,” Urban reveals. “Not playing the next two notes I was about to play. Just having confidence that the one you’re playing right now is more than enough — and letting it sit for a second.”
“And just being aware that I’m aware,” he continues. “That I’m none of the voices in my head — I’m just the one listening. Because it simplifies everything and brings it right back to a very calm, steady, grounded place, but it’s a constant process.”