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Keith Urban ‘Doing His Best to Keep Up’ After Disappointing Album Sales: ‘But That’s Not Enough’
Keith Urban is in a major funk right now and desperately worried he’s being massively outshone by rising Nashville country stars – especially as his new album, High, bombed in the charts – and a source exclusively tells Life & Style he’s looking to Nicole Kidman for help while desperately trying to reinvent himself wherever he can.
Despite decades of success for years at the top of the industry, the insider says, “This is a very sad situation for Keith and the people around him.”
The iconic singer’s latest album, his twelfth, debuted at No. 38 on the Billboard Top 200 chart after its release on September 20, a disappointing result for an artist who boasts millions of fans around the world. His previous album, The Speak of Now – Part 1, which was released in 2020, rose to No. 7 on the same chart.
“As bad as Katy Perry and J. Lo‘s year was in the music business, Keith’s actually having a worse time,” the source continues, “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.”
Country music has been on the upswing in the U.S. as of late, with popular artists in other genres dipping their toe in the uniquely American sound, including rapper Post Malone and R&B legend Beyoncė.
As Keith, 57, faces a 25-year low in album sales, one social media user even noted that, “The fall off of Keith Urban needs to be studied,” calling the four-time Grammy-winning artist’s recent music “uninspiring and boring.”
Another user agreed the “Messed Up As Me” singer seems to be in a slump, noting, “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/inspired anymore.” While one suggested that the country icon should stick to what he does best and that “he is too musically adventurous for his own good.”
Keith married actress Nicole, 57, in 2006, who the source says is “with him every step of the way” as he deals with his disappointment, “but the music needs work and Keith needs to get out there and listen to his fans like he never has before.”
The singer, born in New Zealand, is set to host Nashville’s 2024 CBS New Year’s Eve special, which the insider suggests “isn’t a bad start” as far as reaching a new audience and getting his new music out there goes. Still, if Keith wants to remain a power player in the country music scene, he’s going to need to be able to compete with the fresher faces entering the industry.
“Clearly, the problem is where the country genre has been heading over the last five years, and Keith says he is doing his best to keep up. But that’s not enough and everybody around Keith knows it.”
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