Keith Urban is currently in a major funk and is desperately worried that he is being massively outshone by rising Nashville country stars, a new report claimed. This is especially true given that his most recent album, "High," has bombed in the charts. In addition, he is looking to Nicole Kidman for assistance while desperately trying to reinvent himself wherever he can.
The insider said that this is an unfortunate scenario for Keith and the people around him, even though he has been successful for decades and has been at the top of the profession for a long time.
Despite having millions of followers worldwide, the legendary singer's most recent album, released on September 20, opened at position 38 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. This is a disappointing outcome for an artist who has gained such a large following. According to the same ranking, his earlier album, "The Speak of Now—Part 1," released in 2020, reached seventh place from the bottom.
“As bad as Katy Perry and J. Lo‘s year was in the music business, Keith’s actually having a worse time, and it’s tough to watch because he is such a nice guy and his fans have been so loyal over the last twenty years. It’s become clear that Keith needs to shake things up if he wants to stay in the game and he and his team are not waiting until his next album cycle to do so," an unnamed source told Life & Style Magazine.
Recently, the United States has witnessed a surge in the popularity of country music, with prominent musicians from other genres experimenting with distinctively American sounds, as per Billboard. Notable singers such as the rapper Post Malone and the R&B diva Beyonce have contributed to this trend.
A user on social media even observed that "The fall off of Keith Urban needs to be studied," referring to the four-time Grammy-winning artist's current songs as "uninspiring and boring." This comes when Keith, who is 57, is experiencing album sales at their lowest point in 25 years.
"Once he got sober, happy in love, and with more money than he could ever need, he just lost that edge, and his songs just don't sound unique or inspired anymore," said another user, who concurred with the sentiment that the singer of "Messed Up As Me" appears to be in a rut. "He is too musically adventurous for his own good," one person said, implying that the country icon should stick to what he does best and follow his natural instincts.
In 2006, Keith married the actress Nicole, who is 57 years old, as per PEOPLE Magazine. According to the source, Nicole is "with him every step of the way" as he deals with his disappointment. However, the source also states that the music needs to be improved, and Keith needs to give his fans the attention he has never given them.
Born in New Zealand, the singer is scheduled to host the 2024 CBS New Year's Eve special broadcast in Nashville. According to the insider, this "isn't a bad start" in reaching a new audience and releasing his new music. However, for Keith to continue to be a dominant figure in the country music market, he will need to be able to compete with the younger artists who are joining the industry.
The difficulty is obviously the direction that the country genre has been heading over the past five years, and Keith claims that he is doing his best to stay up with the competition. However, that is not sufficient, and everyone close to Keith is aware of this fact, the insider continued.
Business Times has reached out to Keith Urban for comments.
