Keith Urban’s surprise Tamworth Country Music Festival appearance
Keith Urban will be honoured for a lifetime of achievement at the 2025 Toyota Golden Guitar Awards at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
One of Australia’s most successful music artists ever will be honoured at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
Superstar Keith Urban will be inducted into the Roll of Renown hall of fame at the 53rd Toyota Golden Guitar Awards on Saturday.
The honour recognises Urban’s “extraordinary creative contributions to the Australasian country music industry”.
“Keith Urban embodies the essence of the Tamworth Country Music Festival,” Barry Harley, festival manager, said.
“His journey is a testament to the power of perseverance, passion, and talent.”
Previous recipients include the late Slim Dusty, Smoky Dawson, Jimmy Little and Chad Morgan, as well as Lee Kernaghan, Kasey Chambers, Beccy Cole, John Williamson, James Blundell and Troy Cassar-Daley.
Urban will attend the awards at the weekend, marking six years since he last visited the festival.
He will also take home the Golden Guitar gong for top selling Australian country album of the year for HIGH, his 11th studio recording that topped the ARIA Chart.
“Keith’s influence on the global country music scene is ongoing and immeasurable,” said Golden Guitar Awards executive producer Peter Ross said.
“His dedication to the genre, his boundary-pushing artistry, and his unwavering commitment to music make him a natural choice for the Roll of Renown.”
Urban has amassed countless awards over his several decade career, including four Grammy’s from 19 nominations, eight ARIA Awards, four American Music Awards and 14 CMA Awards.
He has collaborated with the biggest names in the business, from Taylor Swift to The Rolling Stones, Pink, Justin Timberlake, Post Malone, and Pink.
Meanwhile, also at Tamworth, 20-year-old Felicity Kircher has won this year’s Toyota Star Maker country music competition. Urban won the competition himself back in 1990.
Kircher secured the title over nine other finalists at the Tamworth Country Music Festival on Sunday night, winning a prize pool valued at more than $100,000.
She follows an illustrious list of other previous winners, including Lee Kernaghan, Gina Jeffreys, Lyn Bowtell, Samantha McClymont, Travis Collins and Beccy Cole.
“It was surreal, it felt like the world just stopped,” Kircher told Confidential of the win.
“It was a shock and also all my dreams coming true at the same time, somewhere between all of that so a whole mixture of emotions.”
Kircher, from Brisbane, is a multi-instrumentalist, playing piano, fiddle and guitar, who describes her style as “alternative hippy jazz country”.
She is currently touring with Kasey Chambers.
“It is incredible being a part of her world, she is such a grounded salt-of-the-earth human,” Kircher explained.
“As a mentor, she has so much energy, experience and love to give out.”
The Tamworth Country Music Festival concludes on Sunday.
For Kircher, who has attended 12 festivals previously, the hard work starts now.
“This is where it all begins,” she said.
“I am keen to get into releasing music and just touring a lot this year.”
Originally published as Keith Urban’s surprise Tamworth Country Music Festival appearance
Bianca Censori is making an idiot of herself
She’s a well-educated and seemingly intelligent woman with a master’s degree, but in this twisted era of oversharing where being famous is the only aim, the 30-year-old Australian architect appears to be the latest sucker, writes Kylie Lang.
What colour is the triangular section of the Czech Republic’s flag?
The Chase Australia’s official Shark, Brydon Coverdale, has created a new daily quiz challenge. Test yourself.