Keith Urban‘s Christmas celebrations were a lot different in Australia, where he grew up, than the ones that are celebrated in Nashville. The 57-year-old recalls holiday festivities as a child that were completely opposite of how he celebrates them when in the United States.
“I have great memories of getting up early and going and jumping on your parents’ bed and getting them up,” Urban shares. “And then of course you tear open the presents and then it’s done and it’s like eight in the morning, and you’ve got all morning now to sort of wish you had more presents to open. We had great Christmases growing up. I really, really enjoyed them. Mostly, we’d go to the beach, ’cause there it’s summertime. Load up the station wagon and head off to the beach.”
Urban and his wife, Nicole Kidman, now call Tennessee home, but when they still love the way Christmas is celebrated Down Under.
‘We still love going to the beach at Christmas time, as long as we’re in Australia, because it’s like the Fourth of July,” the singer reveals. “It’s huge. Everybody’s out. It feels very celebratory. It’s in the 90s. It’s crazy, but having grown up with that, it feels very natural to me. Albeit it, we still had all of the same Christmas songs, so we’re in like 90-degree heat with shorts and tank tops singing ‘Walking in a Winter Wonderland.’ I remember getting Christmas cards of like Santa on a surfboard, so that probably explains a lot.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the CMA
Whether in the United States or Australia, the father of two loves everything about the holiday season.
“The lights going up, the lights, the music, all of that, the house sort of transforming into Christmas — I love it,” Urban says. “It’s sad when it all has to go away.”
Urban could have a No. 1 song as a Christmas present this year. His current “Messed Up As Me” single just hit the Top 10, and is continuing a rapid ascent up the charts. The song is from his latest HIGH album, out now.
“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.”
Urban will wrap up 2024 with many of his fans. He will co-headline, along with Jelly Roll and Kane Brown, this year’s New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash, and will also host the five-hour event alongside Entertainment Tonight‘s Rachel Smith. He is also planning on headlining his The High Tour in 2025, although those dates have yet to be announced.
“I love writing songs,” Urban recently said on the Today Show. “The next song is what I’m interested in, recording the next album, putting the next tour together. I’m so excited about the tour next year, The High Tour, which we’re gonna do in 2025, and be announcing shortly. I’m so ready for that.”
Urban will also resume his Las Vegas residency, HIGH in Vegas, in February. Find all of Urban’s music and upcoming shows at KeithUrban.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of NBC