SOMETHING ABOUT KEITH URBAN FEELS DIFFERENT — AND FANS CAN’T IGNORE IT. Recent photos have set social media on fire, with millions of views and comment sections split between those who say he looks freer than ever and others who swear he seems quietly broken. What once felt like effortless charm now carries a heavier, more haunted tone, and old interviews and lyrics are being replayed as fans search for “hidden signs.” One thing is clear: this isn’t just a phase — it feels like the beginning of a very different chapter

After 17 years of marriage, Keith Urban is stepping into a brand new chapter — and he’s doing it with heart, confidence, and a noticeably sharper silhouette.

The country superstar has stayed mostly quiet since his split from Nicole Kidman made headlines earlier this year.

Still, insiders say he’s embracing the next phase of life by focusing on something that’s often been secondary: himself.

A Fresh Start

Urban turned heads at the 2025 CMA Awards — not just for his performance, but for the bold red carpet look that showed off his tattooed, toned frame.

Read More: 2025 CMA Awards: Watch (Almost) Every Performance

Keith has always been fit, but in the last few months he’s really trimmed up a lot,” a source told Star, noting he’s lost around 10 pounds and hired a new wardrobe and grooming team.

“He absolutely loves the transformation,” the insider added. “He’s always been conscious of his appearance — but he’s making a bigger effort now that he’s single.”

Turning Inward

The focus on fitness and self-care comes after what sources describe as a tough but amicable divorce process.

Court documents show that Urban and Kidman officially separated on Sept. 30 — the same day news of the filing became public.

They’ve agreed to a co-parenting plan centered around stability for their daughters, Sunday Rose (17) and Faith Margaret (14).

Read More: Keith Urban Forgets His Own Lyrics — and Laughs It Off Onstage [Watch]

Kidman will be the girls’ primary residential parent, while Urban has custody time throughout the year. There’s no child support exchange, and both will continue making major parenting decisions together.

Healing, His Way

For Urban, who’s spent years on tour, in the studio, and building a family life, this season is a significant reset. But he’s meeting it with the kind of grounded grace fans have come to expect.

Instead of retreating, the “Blue Ain’t Your Color” singer is leaning into personal growth — physically, emotionally, and professionally.

The 20 Best Keith Urban Songs

Keith Urban is special because he’s so versatile. A talented songwriter and vocalist and one of country music’s very best modern guitar players, he’s known for pushing boundaries, trying new things and keeping an open mind with the songs he chooses to record.

That creative approach is on full display in this list of Urban’s best songs. His biggest hits range from classic singalong country to experimental ballads and pop-friendly dance tunes. Keep reading for Taste of Country’s rundown of the best Keith Urban songs of all time.

Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak

Catherine Powell, Getty Images

No. 20: “Making Memories of Us”

Let’s wind back the clock to 2004, when Urban was still an up-and-coming star. He made a splash with his version of “Making Memories of Us,” a ballad that had previously been recorded by Rodney Crowell and Vince Gill, as well as Tracy Byrd.

Urban held his own with his version of the song, which became a No. 1 hit and continues to be a fan favorite from his catalogue.

Rick Kern, Getty Images

No. 19: “Blue Ain’t Your Color”

The clever lyrics of this bluesy (no pun intended) ballad are a fresh take on the guy-wiping-away-a-woman’s-tears trope. The play on words frames the sentiment in witty charm, a pairing that suits Urban well.

Fans certainly agreed: They put “Blue Ain’t Your Color” at the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs list for 12 straight weeks. It was also nominated for two Grammy awards — one for Best Country Solo Performance and the other for Best Country Song, which honors its writers.

Jason Kempin, Getty Images

No. 18: “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me”

This 2003 hit features Urban’s signature feel-good guitar picking and windows-down energy, with a message to match: Life is good when you’re in love. “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me” topped the Billboard Hot Country chart and even cracked the Billboard 100 Top 30. Who wouldn’t wanna be as happy as Urban is in this party anthem?

Brett Carlsen, Getty Images

No. 17: “Coming Home” (feat. Julia Michaels)

Even though Urban’s duet partner Julia Michaels hails from the world of pop, this wistful single is all country — it even includes a sample of Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried.” We love this 2018 single for how it braids traditionalism with a fresh era of country music.

Dia Dipasupil, Getty Images

No. 16: “Tonight I Wanna Cry”

Sure, Urban’s got a lot of summer party anthems in his catalog. But he’s also got plenty of heartbreak material, too. “Tonight I Wanna Cry” is a piano ballad that leans wholly into sadness and loneliness. The song was a Top 5 hit on the Billboard country chart after Urban put it out in late 2005.

Matt Winkelmeyer, Getty Images

No. 15: “We Were”

Any country singer worth their salt has at least one song about nostalgia. But here, Urban delivers a downright master class in it. In this song off his 2020 The Speed of Now Part 1 album, Urban waxes wistful about young, wild love. Though the couple in the song didn’t stand the test of time, their memories are still potent years after the fact.

Jason Davis, Getty Images

No. 14: “We Were Us” (feat. Miranda Lambert)

It’s easy to misremember this as a Miranda Lambert song because she begins the vocals, but it’s actually an Urban-led duet off his 2013 Platinum-selling Fuse. It’s a great duet that he would use to shine a light on new female country singers at each stop of his tour. The song is still a highlight of live shows.

Jason Kempin, Getty Images

No. 13: “Long Hot Summer”

This 2011 chart-topper is full of irrepressible tempo, and its subject matter is just as charming. When the weather gets warm, Urban can’t help but think about riding roads with his girl in the passenger seat.

Jason Kempin, Getty Images

No. 12: “Break on Me”

Urban soothes his love interest and his listeners through tough times in this tender mid-tempo ballad. Urban didn’t write “Break on Me” — in-demand songwriters Jon Nite and Ross Copperman did — but his compelling vocal delivery proves that every word of this song comes straight from the heart.

Roy Rochlin, Getty Images

No. 11: “Cop Car”

Breaking the rules pays off for Urban and his love interest in this evocative story song about a couple who gets caught hanging out somewhere where they’re not supposed to be.

“Cop Car” was a hit for Urban in 2013, striking a chord with fans who know that sometimes getting a good story is worth paying the price, even if that price is a weekend stint in jail.

Lisa Maree Williams, Getty Images

No. 10: “Female”

Urban took a risk with this Graffiti U track, and in our opinion, it paid off bigtime. It’s a celebration of women, not just as love interests but as powerful change-makers in every avenue of life — a pretty great message coming from this dad of two daughters.

Hubert Vestil, Getty Images

No. 9: “Wasted Time”

“Wasted Time,” a 2016 hit single off Urban’s Ripchord album, is a reminder of just how creative he is musically. When he performed it on American Idol in 2012, he used an instrument he called a “ganjocaster,” aka a combination between a banjo and an electric guitar that was built by one of his bandmates.

Derek White, Getty Images

No. 8: “Days Go By”

This summer anthem is one of a handful of hits that you could fairly describe as a career song for Urban. It spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard chart, and he won CMA Entertainer of the Year for the first time in 2005, the year after it came out. Few country songs from this century sound better blaring from a car’s speakers, windows down and going 75 MPH, than “Days Go By.”

Catherine Powell, Getty Images

No. 7: “Wild Hearts”

Urban celebrates all the free spirits living life on their own terms in this pulsing 2021 single. Fun fact: He co-wrote this song with three other artists, Eric Paslay, Runaway June’s Jennifer Wayne and Old Dominion’s Brad Tursi.

Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images

No. 6: “The Fighter” (feat. Carrie Underwood)

The pop-heavy style of this song is a testament to Urban’s willingness to step outside the box. He brought in powerhouse vocalist Carrie Underwood as the perfect finishing touch. “The Fighter” is an upbeat, dancey tune that’s just plain fun — a love song that doesn’t take life too seriously. Underwood and Urban are longtime pals, so the marrying of their talents was a perfect match for this lighthearted duet from Ripcord.

Scott Legato, Getty Images

No. 5: “Stupid Boy”

Even though it only reached No. 3 on the charts (relatively low in comparison to his other chart-toppers), “Stupid Boy” remains a fan favorite. Its poignant lyrics and unique sentiment admonishing a man for having treated a woman so poorly, particularly coming from a male point of view, piqued listeners’ interest and won over many a listener — including critics. Written by Dave Berg, Deanna Bryant and Sarah Buxton, the song earned Urban a Grammy for Best Male Country Performance in 2008. The song appeared on Urban’s record Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Thing and served as its second single.

Hubert Vestil, Getty Images

No. 4: “Somewhere in My Car”

This might just be the best of Urban’s many songs about riding in cars. In its lyrics, he sets a scene of a man driving around alone, thinking of the lover he lost who’s now with someone else.

Matt Winkelmeyer, Getty Images

No. 3: “Somebody Like You”

Urban’s first certified Gold single also spent six weeks atop the Billboard charts and was named the country song of the decade in 2009 by Billboard. So yeah, you could say it was a pretty big song for him. Arguably, an artist’s first hit from a second album is more important than his debut single, because expectations are so much higher. Urban certainly delivered with “Somebody Like You,” a song that still makes a perfect mood-lifting lead track on a road trip playlist over a decade later.

Jason Kempin, Getty Images

No. 2: “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16”

Okay, okay — so Urban’s from Australia. But these symbols of good old-fashioned Americana still somehow fit with his aesthetic in a way that feels authentic. Having been in the country music biz in the U.S. since the early ’90s, he’s been grafted into the community in a way that blurs the lines between what his actual experience has been and what he’s adopted from the culture. We’ll allow it. This cleverly-written song brings together a slew of metaphors representing life growing up in the heartland, if you will, to create a nostalgic picture of who he is. The sparse production, driven by Urban’s bass playing, brings an unexpected sound to the record with a pop influence, making this song a delightful addition to any summer playlist.

Rob Kim, Getty Images

No. 1: “You’ll Think of Me”

The rhymes and images fell seamlessly into place for this chart-topper from 2004. “Take your records, take your freedom / Take your memories, I don’t need ’em / Take your space and take your reasons / But you’ll think of me,” Urban sings on what ended up being his most successful crossover hit.

Sometimes crossover success is a blight on a country singer’s resume, but few had any misgivings about making sure the world heard this emotional ballad. It’s more than just a breakup song: It washes its hands of love in a way that is both heartbreaking and cavalier, adding even more salt to the wound for the woman who missed out. Written by Darrell Brown, Ty Lacy and Dennis Matkosky, “You’ll Think of Me” earned Urban his first Grammy in 2006 for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.