Love, Hope and Light

Whangarei-born, country music superstar Keith Urban, 41, is interviewed by The New York Times’ Alan Light about his latest album, ‘Defying Gravity’ — his first since his admission to the Betty Ford Center. Urban, who is married to Australian actress Nicole Kidman, is happy with the new album and feels the break served him well, “I wanted to get back to the core of my earlier music,” he said. “Simple odes to love, loss, longing — that’s the stuff I naturally do, and instead of second-guessing it this time, I just went with it.” It seems his fans are also happy with the new album because it went straight to #1 on the U.S. charts as soon as it was released. Urban will be promoting ‘Defying Gravity’ through a busy arena tour across the U.S. and Canada which starts in May.