Keith Urban has finally found the elusive place where gravity meets music. The title of Urban's 5th solo studio album, and latest release, Defying Gravity, comes from the lyrics of a song on the album. "It just struck me at the time as a phrase that really defined the joyous, optimistic and uplifting spirit that seemed to show itself while making the album," said Urban. While defying gravity has come several years into a successful Country music career, it's not the first defining moment for Keith--his path to stardom is tinged with highs, lows, and everything else in between.

Born in New Zealand, Urban learned to play guitar as a six-year-old in Australia. By the time he was eight, Urban began his life as a performer. He was winning local talent shows, and he was also involved with a youth acting company that required him to sing, dance, and memorize lines--all of which led to a level of comfort on-stage that would later serve him well in his solo career.

He gravitated toward Country music, guided by the influences of artists like Dolly Parton and Glen Campbell, ending up with a record deal from Australia's EMI branch. Multiple number one hits followed, but Urban had his heart set on Nashville, TN. He decided to base himself in the city along with his Australian band mate, Peter Clarke. The duo soon formed a three piece band, The Ranch. The band's live shows, featuring Urban's standout lead guitar playing, led to a record deal, and their self-titled debut album was released to critical acclaim in 1997. Urban's standout guitar playing didn't go unnoticed either. A few years later, after The Ranch disbanded, Garth Brooks asked Urban to perform on Double Live, the Dixie Chicks invited him to play on their second album, and Matt Rollings-one of Nashville's top musicians-hired Urban as a session player on an album he was producing. Rollings later produced Urban's next solo album, which paved his way to Nashville superstardom. Golden Road followed in 2002, and Be Here in 2004. Both albums went triple platinum in the U.S. His next album, Love, Pain, & the Whole Crazy Thing, brought forth a successful tour with opener, Carrie Underwood. One highly publicized marriage to fellow Australian, Nicole Kidman, and one beautiful daughter (Sunday Rose) later, Keith Urban has returned to the forefront of Country music with the infectious, chart-topping hit, "Sweet Thing", a gravity defying album, and a bright future ahead.