Keith Urban put a new spin on his current hit single at the People’s Choice Country Awards. The talented singer performed a stripped-down, acoustic version of his Top 15 hit, “Messed Up As Me.” The song is the current single from his latest HIGH album, which was just released.

“Let’s put it this way: most of us have been in dysfunctional relationships before, where there’s not a lot of compatibility, except for that one area where it’s so good you put up with all the rest,” Urban said when the song was released. “A phone call or a night out and you’re right back where you shouldn’t be.”

“Messed Up As Me” is one of four songs that were on the original 615 project, which Urban ultimately scrapped and began working on a new project, which became HIGH.

“I know this sounds weird,” the Grand Ole Opry member admitted. “It may not sound weird to certain people, but some people might think I’m completely loopy. But there were several songs, ‘Messed Up As Me’ was one of them. And there were a few other songs that felt like they were saying to me, ‘We don’t belong here. We belong on this other record, so take us with you, have faith in us, and get back in the studio and write. You’ll see this new record will happen with us in there, and it will be the record we belong to, because we don’t belong with this record.’ And I did it, I trusted the songs.

“I moved them over, went back to the drawing board, and built outwards from those songs,” he added. “And man, this record came together. 40 minutes running time, top to bottom, and it was absolutely the record that I was meant to make but wasn’t the one I set out to make.”

All of the songs on HIGH carry a feeling of happiness and euphoria. It was an intentional decision for Urban, who included the songs even if they aren’t always indicators of how he feels in real life.

“I realized that I need them,” Urban explained. “I need them to keep me from the negativity, the darkness, the insecurity, the depression, all of it. I’ve got to stay in motion. And I think those songs can sometimes be whistling in the dark songs for me. They’re a way to keep me company in the midst of all the darkness, and keep me moving. That may not be who I am, but they’re who I need to be to keep moving.”

The 56-year-old may not always be in the perpetually sunny mood the songs on HIGH suggest, but he is always grateful for the career he has, and the life he gets to live thanks to country music.

“I have genuine gratitude for where I’ve gotten to, where I get to be, the music I get to make, and the people I get to make it with, my family, touring, my health,” Urban reflected. “I don’t take any of it for granted. And it’s gratitude that I think you feel through this record. I genuinely have gratitude for what I get to do. That’s not BS, it’s real. And if that came through on this record, then that’s what you’re feeling.”

Urban will kick off his HIGH in Vegas residency in October. Find HIGH and all of Urban’s music and upcoming shows at KeithUrban.com.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the CMA