Keith Urban makes surprise solo appearance in his hometown ahead of incredible milestone

Keith Urban is a certified country music legend after nabbing four Grammys and 13 Country Music Awards throughout his illustrious career.

Keith is about to add another prize to his collection, with the star set to be inducted into the Roll of Renown at the 53rd Toyota Golden Guitar Awards in Australia.

He landed Down Under ahead of the awards show, set to take place in Tamworth, a rural town known as the nation’s home of country music.

He sported a navy long-sleeved shirt and black sweatpants as he exited Sydney Airport, preparing for the journey to the country town. 

Keith flew solo on his trip to Australia, with his wife of 17 years, Nicole Kidman, notably absent. The actress, who was expected to receive an Oscar nomination for her role in the erotic thriller Babygirl, was shockingly snubbed by the Academy on Thursday, much to the chagrin of critics and fans alike. 

Her husband will be honoured on Saturday night for his contribution to the Australasian country music scene and will receive the Golden Guitar Award for Top Selling Country Album of the Year for High.

“Keith’s influence on the global country music scene is ongoing and immeasurable,” said Peter Ross, executive producer of the awards. “His dedication to the genre, his boundary-pushing artistry, and his unwavering commitment to music make him a natural choice for the Roll of Renown.”

Tamworth was where it all began for Keith, who made a name for himself busking at the famous Country Music Festival and winning the Star Maker competition at 22 years old. 

The father of two recently got candid on the Q with Tom Power podcast about starting his career in Australia, where the crowds were tougher to win over. 

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“My mum and dad would drive me to the gigs and I’d play four hours, all covers, no originals,” he said on the show. 

“Doing that for years and years, all the way up until my 20s, really gave me a good understanding of songs that connect and why they connect.”

“The audience tells you,“ he continued. “If you suck, they let you know, like no problem, no problem at all. So you just get this really tough way of performing that is just total conviction and totally in, and the audience then goes with it. It’s like you either lead or you get crushed.“

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“You just roll with it, and it toughens you up,“ he finished. “It’s a good way to grow up; it was good for me.“ 

These hard lessons evidently worked; Keith moved to Nashville in 1992 to break into the American industry and found success with his hit single, ‘Somebody Like You’, in 2002. 

He recalled on the podcast that when he played the tune for his then-girlfriend, she was less than happy with the sentiment.  

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“She hears it as a love song, and it finished, and she just looks at me, she goes, ‘You’re a [expletive] hypocrite,‘ and then walked out of the room,“ he said. 

“She’s like, ‘You don’t want to love anyone, you’re just an [expletive].‘ And she wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t the guy I was; it was the guy I wished I could be.”

Keith struggled with alcohol abuse until he went to rehab in 2006 at Nicole’s urging. He has been sober ever since.