“Keith Urban Gets Real: The Surgery That Changed Everything — and Sparked a Whole New Sound”
Country music icon Keith Urban is no stranger to reinvention — but few fans knew just how personal and transformative his 2013 album Fuse truly was… until now.
In a recent interview with World Cafe, the 57-year-old superstar opened up about a pivotal moment in his career that nearly silenced him for good: a major vocal cord surgery that not only saved his voice but completely rewired his creative energy.
“I’d been damaging my cords for years,” Urban shared. “Living a lifestyle that wasn’t good for my voice. Eventually, I needed serious vocal cord surgery… but what came after changed everything.”
The aftermath of the surgery shocked him. “This crazy big range opened up,” he said. “Suddenly I had this confidence I hadn’t felt in a long time. I was experimenting, working with new people, writing differently. My whole sound started to evolve.”
Urban said it was a scary but thrilling moment — one that reminded him of U2’s legendary pivot with Achtung Baby. “They tore down their old sound. That’s what I felt I had to do,” he explained. “Move past the ‘Somebody Like You’s’ and blend in new textures — banjo, electrics, synth — all fused together.”
That fearless spirit of change didn’t stop with Fuse. In fact, it laid the foundation for his most recent album, HIGH — a record born from a project he completely scrapped and restarted. It’s not just a sonic leap, but a deeply personal celebration of 30 years in music.
“I’ve got genuine gratitude,” Urban said. “For my career, for the music I get to make, for my health, my family, my fans. I don’t take any of it for granted.”
If HIGH feels joyful, it’s because it is — a reflection of a man who’s been to the edge and found a new way forward.
