Keith Urban's female collaborators in spotlight after Nicole Kidman split claims
From Taylor Swift to unknown talents, Keith Urban's musical partnerships with female artists have defined his career – now they're raising eyebrows.
Keith Urban is famous for his collaborations with megastar female artists including Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Pink, Miranda Lambert and Nelly Furtado.
Such collaborations, often with stars from non-country musical genres, have broadened the singer’s appeal through the years and bolstered the 57-year-old’s relevance with younger audiences.
The one-time judge on American Idol and coach on The Voice is also credited with sponsoring and supporting young lesser known female talent, particularly on his tours.
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In August he took this sponsorship of young talent a step further by sponsoring an award, the Keith Urban Rising Star Scholarship, at Australia’s Tamworth Country Music Festival designed to discover new talent and promote them in Nashville.
Now as rumours swirl about the catalyst for the breakdown of his marriage to Nicole Kidman his continued support of female artists is being re-examined through a fresh lens.
Maggie Baugh
Baugh, 25, is the latest young artist to receive a serious career boost after joining Urban for his present High and Alive World concert tour.
Interest in the young Florida-born guitarist went viral this week after Baugh posted to Instagram on September 26 a clip of Urban injecting Baugh’s name into his song The Fighter.
“Maggie, I’ll be your guitar player,’ Urban sang. The original lyrics “baby, I’ll be your fighter” were inspired his former wife Kidman.
“Did he just say that,” Baugh posted, prompting a frenzy of international interest in the aftermath of his break-up from Kidman.
Alana Springsteen
Singer/guitarist Springsteen, 24, also hit the stage with Urban in the US, Canada and Australia on his current tour after meeting him at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and then again at Summerfest in Milwaukee last year.
The Virginia-born muso, no relation to The Boss Bruce, is credited with matching Urban’s own onstage energy and reviewers constantly comment on the pair’s chemistry.
Signed to a record deal at 14, Springsteen moved to Nashville with her family as a teen after her talent was recognised.
She is one of three support acts for his current tour.
Karley Scott Collins
Collins, 25, was also hand-picked by Urban to join him on his current world tour.
From Florida, Collins was a successful child actor from age six before moving to Nashville as a teen and concentrating on a music career.
Marked for big things, she opened for Willie Nelson and met Urban after a sound engineer sent Urban a track from her album Write One and asked Urban to record a lead break for it, which he did.
“It’s amazing being on the road with Keith. He is such a kind person and he’s been so good to the boys and I, but I’ve also learned so much from him. He’s an incredible entertainer, and I respect him so much,” she said recently.
Lainey Wilson
Louisiana-born actor and composer Wilson, 33, sings with Urban on Go Home W U, a track on his latest album High.
Wilson, who is engaged to a former NFL quarterback, counts Urban as a “dear friend”.
“Keith Urban has become a dear friend and has given me some of the best advice. Every time I see him or run into him, he’s like, ‘Let me drop a load of wisdom on ya!’” she says with a laugh.
“But I tell you what, every time I leave his presence, I’m like typing in my phone, ‘Keith Urban said this …’ He’s full of wisdom … He gives it 190 per cent, he never half-ar**s anything, and that’s what I love about him.”
Natalie Stovall
The 43-year-old singer/fiddle player from Tennessee joined Urban this year on the US leg of his current tour.
Stovall, a Grand Ole Opry host who is credited with making more appearances at the venue than any other and first appeared there at age 12, appeared on the US season of The Voice in 2017.
Married, Stovall has posted a series of shots of herself with Urban through the years, revealing a friendship and association that stretches back two decades.
She describes Urban as one of her “Mount Rushmore” artists.
Kelsea Ballerini
Ballerini, 32, and Urban are longtime collaborators.
She appeared as a support on a US tour with Urban in 2015 when reports surfaced that she was “infatuated” with him.
Pictures of the then 21-year-old Ballerini hanging out with Urban on his tour bus, along with other band members, had, it was reported in US Star, upset Kidman who was then in the UK appearing onstage in Photograph 51.
The rumours however were dismissed by the Urban/Kidman reps as “rubbish”.
Ballerini invited Urban to join her on stage in Nashville in January this year to sing his song Stupid Boy.
She split from boyfriend actor Chase Stokes last month after three years together.
