Keith Urban has offered an unfiltered look into the darker side of his life as a touring musician, describing the experience as “completely lonely, miserable, and exhausting.” During the premiere episode of The Road on Sunday, October 19, the country superstar was asked about the unseen challenges of being on tour.
His answer was candid and emotional, painting a picture of long nights, isolation, and self-doubt. “It’s a calling and you’re born to do it — or you’re not gonna make it,” Urban said, reflecting on the toll that constant travel can take. He went on to explain what life can feel like for an artist on the move.
“When you wake up on a tour bus at 3:30 in the morning and you’re sick as a dog, you’re in the middle of nowhere and you’ve got to play your fifth show later that night and you haven’t slept and you miss your friends and you’re missing your family and you’re completely lonely and miserable and sick,” Urban shared. “The only answer could be, ‘Because this is what I’m born to do.’ We’re going to find out who’s made of that stuff.”
Urban’s comments offered a stark contrast to the glamour often associated with fame and touring. He admitted that despite the adoration from fans and the excitement of performing, the solitude and exhaustion behind the scenes can take a heavy emotional toll.
The interview comes shortly after his separation from actress Nicole Kidman, his wife of nearly two decades. Kidman filed for divorce in early September, marking the end of one of Hollywood’s most admired marriages. The couple shares two daughters, Sunday and Faith.
While Urban did not mention the split during the interview, his reflections on loneliness struck a deeper chord with fans who have followed his personal life closely. Many have expressed sympathy online, noting that his words reveal the emotional cost of a career spent away from home.
For Urban, however, music remains both a passion and a test of endurance. “It’s not something you can fake,” he said. “You have to be born to do it.”
As he continues his career in the spotlight, Urban’s honesty about the hardships of touring serves as a reminder that even success at the highest level comes with sacrifice, sleepless nights, and moments of doubt — all endured in pursuit of the music he was, as he says, “born to do.”
