Capitol NashvilleFor Keith Urban, performing onstage hasn’t just been a way to make a living, it’s been a way of life.

So not being able to play in front of live audiences because of the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially hard for the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year.

“I made a record, so I didn’t go crazy,” he laughs. “I’ve always played, since I joined this sort of singing group when I was seven and performed at the shopping centers, you know, on school holidays at the mall, and joined a band at twelve and then quit school at fifteen and was playing five nights a week. I’ve always, always played on stages.”

Even during the off-season, Keith’s made a habit of popping up in small clubs to soak up the vibe and flex his musical muscles. Now, he says the hardest parts are the unknowns. 

“It’s a very strange feeling,” he tells ABC Audio on the phone from his native Australia, “not only having not been on a stage in a long time, but truly not knowing when we’re gonna get to get back on one again, or how it’s gonna be, where it’s gonna be.”

“So I just dived into the studio,” he continues, “which is, you know, in a lot of ways my other stage.” 

You can sample the fruits of of Keith’s labors on September 18, when The Speed of Now Part 1 comes out, featuring his current hit, “God Whispered Your Name,” as well as his Eric Church collaboration, “We Were.”

That’s just a couple days after Keith hosts the first all-virtual ACM Awards, live from Nashville, on CBS.

By Stephen Hubbard
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