Keith Urban celebrated the release of his ninth studio album, Graffiti U, at the iHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
The intimate iHeartCountry Album Release Party hosted by Bobby Bones offered fans and those who tuned in via the livestream a deep dive into the Grammy winner’s highly anticipated new record.
Urban kicked off the concert with an exclusive performance of lead track “Female.”
The four-time Grammy winner, who said the name of the album represents the “blank canvas” during the recording process, released “Female” back in November 2017.
“I heard that song the day after it was written and we recorded it that week and I think it came out like a week after,” he recalled. “I wanted it out there. It felt right. As a father of young girls and also a husband [and as a son].”
From the new hits to the classics, what was your favorite moment from tonight’s @KeithUrban album release party? https://t.co/tYpfEsK6KE pic.twitter.com/Jx2FxlrmUe
— iHeartCountry (@iHeartCountry) April 26, 2018
Before throwing it back with a performance of 2004's “Days Go By,” Urban added that he wants Graffiti U to represent a “feeling” more than anything else.
“It’s an energy,” he said. “I hope the record makes everyone feel the way I felt when I was making it … I’ve had a blast making the [album] … it’s a very summer record. It’s up and built to be performed live.”
Urban later performed “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” “Coming Home” featuring Julia Michaels and “Wasted Time.” The country crooner paired up with Michaels after being referred to the “Worst In Me” singer by a mutual friend.
While Michaels wasn’t there in person, she joined Urban onstage virtually via a life-size screen.
“I became an instant fan when I heard the song called ‘Issues’ and then I got her EP and loved every song — the writing, the singing — everything,” Urban said. “The first song we wrote was actually ’Gemini,’ which you’ll hear on the album, and then we wrote ‘Coming Home.’”
After belting out crowd favourite “Wasted Time,” Urban debuted a plethora of new tracks including reggae-inspired “My Wave” which he said was inspired by a conversation he had with wife Nicole Kidman’s 2011 Trespass costar Ben Mendelsohn.
“The idea about ‘My Wave’ is about living life on your own terms and not letting the negativity and trolls ruin your day,” he added. “It became a very personal life-living song.”
Urban then debuted “Love The Way It Hurts (So Good)” and “Same Heart” before bringing another life-size collaborator — this time of Carrie Underwood — onstage to perform 2016’s “Fighter.”
The crooner ended the bash by performing a powerful rendition of Graffiti U’s “Never Coming Down.”
“This is about being at a concert,” Urban explained of the bass-heavy track. “Period.”
Graffiti U drops April 27.
Original article by Sierra Marquina at iHeartRadio