Keith Urban knew as soon as he was asked to be a Mega Mentor on The Voice that he wanted to say yes. The father of two already had experience with reality TV talent shows, both in Australia and the United States, and was eager to once again share his wisdom and experience with other aspiring singers.
“Just getting good advice and honest advice was something I really loved and needed, so it was a no-brainer when I got asked to do it,” Urban tells UMG Nashville. “The first one I got asked to do was be a coach on The Voice in Australia on their first season, and I did it. I loved it. Then I did quite a few seasons of American Idol, as a judge on American Idol, and loved it.”
Urban is no stranger to The Voice. In addition to performing on the show, he also served as an advisor for Blake Shelton‘s team in 2015.
“When The Voice here in the States asked me to come and be a mentor and now a Mega Mentor, whatever that means – I feel like a Transformer – I jumped at the opportunity, because the mentoring part I particularly love,” Urban explains. “I love that the most. I love being able to try and help an artist navigate some things they’ve got to work on and try and be constructive and helpful but also do it in a supportive way. Nobody wants to get humiliated in front of people, but you do need honest advice as well, so I love that opportunity.”
Urban knows exactly how the contestants on The Voice feel, since he also tried talent shows to get his career off the ground.
“I was on a few singing talent TV shows when I was a kid, a bunch of them actually. The first one I did, I was nine years old and my Mom and Dad got me on to a TV show called Pot of Gold. It was a singing competition show with three judges, one of whom was just a really unfiltered, unapologetic, vicious, scathing kind of judge,” Urban recalls with a laugh. “This was a long time before Simon Cowell’s template. This guy had it nailed, and at nine years old, I was subjected to this, and I got kind of crucified by this judge. It didn’t faze me,
“And then I went on other shows after that, but my experience with all of those was really loving good feedback, constructive feedback, even if it was something I needed to work on,” he adds.” I remember the judge telling me to kindly learn how to sing in tune. I’m like, ‘Okay?!’”
Urban has a Top 40 single with “Messed Up As Me,” from his upcoming new record, which also includes “Straight Line. Find all of his music and tour dates at KeithUrban.com.
The Voice airs on Monday and Tuesday nights at 8:00 PM ET on NBC.