Keith Urban ‘Wants to Work More’ in L.A. Since His Key to Staying Sober Is Being ‘Busy’

Keith Urban is at a crossroads with his country music career, a source exclusively tells Closer, adding that he’s mulling over a full-time return to Hollywood alongside wife Nicole Kidman.

“One of Keith’s keys to staying clean and sober is staying extremely busy,” the source says of the singer, who turns 57 on Saturday, October 26, and has been open about his previous struggles with drug and alcohol addiction.

“It’s always a red flag when Keith isn’t working on a big new project or writing and recording, but he’s taken a ton of downtime this summer and is making noise in his circle that he wants to work more in Los Angeles if he can,” the insider adds.

The former Voice Australia coach has taken a break from his days on television, but his 57-year-old wife keeps herself busy with her Hollywood film career.

“People worry about Keith in general because of his dark days and his private struggles,” says the source. “Idle hands are the devil’s playthings, and the fact is, he has been a lot less busy in the last 12 months than Nicole has been.”

The source believes that when the singer was “on TV regularly,” it “was one of the best things ever for Keith’s mood and his mental health.”

According to the insider, “He’s a sweet, gentle guy, but he has admitted himself that he is capable of massive acts of self-destruction and nobody wants to see history repeat itself!”

In a 2022 interview with the British newspaper The Times, the Australian musician opened up about his use of alcohol and cocaine as a coping mechanism during the early years of his career.

“My dad was an alcoholic, so I grew up in an alcoholic house and it took me a long time to believe I was wired the same,” he said. “I don’t talk a lot about it because I love my audience being able to just come and have a great time. I’ve nothing against drugs or alcohol. Everyone does what they want to do to have a great time. I just realized I’m allergic to it. Someone said, ‘You have an allergy? What happens when you drink?’ And I said, ‘I break out in cuffs.'”

The musician went to rehab in 1998, but he credits his 2006 marriage to Nicole that really saved him.

Shortly after the two tied the knot on June 25, 2006, he checked into the Betty Ford Center that October. His 2009 song “Thank You” addresses his wife.

“There were nights where I was sure / I wouldn’t see the morning sun / And there were days that seemed so dark / I couldn’t wait for night to come,” he sings on the song. “I thank you for my life / And I thank god for grace and mercy / And that you became my wife.”

Keith added that he needed to figure out “a different way to be in the world” without using drugs and alcohol, adding, “I’m glad it didn’t change anything about my music. I wrote plenty of hit songs while drunk. I wrote plenty sober. I feel lucky it hasn’t defined my creativity.”