Keith Urban might not have accepted any trophies on stage at last night’s 2021 CMA Awards, but he didn’t walk away empty-handed. The New Zealand-born star received the CMA International Artist Achievement Award, which according to the Country Music Association, recognizes “creative growth, development and promotion of country music outside of the United States.”
“We just got back from the CMAs, and we had the best time,” Urban said in a video he shared on social media, where he was joined by his stunning wife, Nicole Kidman. “CMAs, thank you so much for this incredible honor, International Artist Achievement Award, that the CMAs honored me with. Thank you, thank you, thank you. This goes out to all of the fans as well. Thank you, guys. I can’t wait to hit the road very soon. But tonight was a blast. Congratulations to all of the winners. We’ll see you soon.”
thank you so much for this incredible honor @CountryMusic !!! We had a great night and congrats to all of tonight’s winners ! pic.twitter.com/DEjsGzvI83
— Keith Urban (@KeithUrban) November 11, 2021
Urban performed his current single, “Wild Hearts,” during the live broadcast, starting his performance by walking down the streets of Broadway before entering Bridgestone Arena.
“From everywhere, all around the world, this is where they come. The born-to-be rock stars, who come with guitars in hand and songs in their hearts,” Urban said as he walked toward the stage. ”They’re all dreamers ready to fly. To try to make their mark in this town known far and wide as Music City. Tonight and every night, this song goes out to all of you ‘Wild Hearts.’ I want to say keep dreaming, keep painting the sky, because make no mistake, like everybody else taking the stage tonight, I’m one of you.”
“Wild Hearts” was written by Urban, along with Eric Paslay, Old Dominion‘s Brad Tursi and Runaway June‘s Jennifer Wayne,
“It’s mostly about following your heart, following your dreams, and going for it no matter what anybody says,” Urban says of the song, which he calls “fairly autobiographical. “It’s about believing in yourself and shooting for the stars.”
