Keith Urban found out about Wednesday’s nominations for the 48th annual CMA Awards at the same time as everyone else — the difference is he had more at stake than everyone else in the car rider line.
The year before, the country singer and “American Idol” judge released “Fuse,” an adventurous genre-bending album he felt compelled to record.
The CMA nominations would serve as validation for the project. Urban was dropping his two daughters off at school when he said his “phone started blowing up” with CMA nomination news.“I couldn’t respond because I was driving,” Urban said. “I dropped one at school and dropped the second one at a different school and got home and sat in the garage and feverishly responded to everyone by calling everyone. So, it was a really beautiful morning.”
In all, the Nashville resident picked up four nods – entertainer of the year, album of the year, male vocalist of the year and vocal event of the year.
He said he’s most excited about the nominations in the album of the year and entertainer of the year categories.
“I was leaping into uncharted territory in every way and trying something that I’ve felt very pulled towards,” Urban said of recording “Fuse.” “I made the record I wanted to make and needed to make. If it worked, great. And if it didn’t, that’s OK because it’s just the one I had to make. I think when it came out and connected the way it did … to hear that nomination this morning for album was just extraordinary.”
As for entertainer of the year nomination, which is the show’s top honor, Urban exclaimed: “Good Lord.”
“Seriously ... I really, really care hugely about connecting, because at the end of the day that’s all I’m trying to do is just connect,” Urban said. “I’m finding ways to do that all the time and to have this tour connect the way it has in the midst of all the ‘Idol’ stuff has just been extraordinary.”
