Keith Urban is one of the many artists whose tour plans have been derailed due to COVID-19. The New Zealand-born star still hopes to be back on the road in 2021, where his plans include a World Tour, taking him all over the globe.

“We’re doing a world tour next year,” Keith revealed on the Australian radio station K-Rock. “We were hoping to start in Australia; I still hope we get to do that. But there’s nothing set right now –– I’m just hoping that we can do that. In the meantime, of course, I’m at work pretty hard on finishing The Speed of Now Part 1, and have got a lot of it done. It’s going really well.

“And actually, the lockdown has gotten me really, really closer, because I’ve got the studio here at the house, and I’ve been able to get in here and really get into it every day,” he added. “It’s extraordinary.”

Keith recently performed a live show, at a drive-in theater, for those working on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. While he hopes to do more of those kinds of concerts, the 52-year-old admits he is itching to be on a live stage again, with people standing in the crowd.

“I love that we get to do it,” Keith acknowledged. “There’s no substitute for playing on stage with a bunch of musicians. But until we can do that, I’m looking at ways we can just keep playing and stay connected, and come out to everybody wherever they are.”

“I can’t wait until we’re back in front of a live audience,” he continued. “The drive-in was a blast, because we were playing for frontline workers; all the car passes were given away to doctors and nurses and everybody on the frontline. But there’s nobody –– from a gig standpoint, I really missed everybody being down in the mosh pit down in the front, because that’s the best energy. I don’t know when we’re going to see that again.”

The Speed of Now Part 1 will be released on September 18.