Keith Urban Was ‘Terrible’ at Relationships Before Meeting Nicole Kidman

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman married in 2006 after meeting in at an event the previous year, and it’s clear that Kidman changed Urban’s life in more ways than one. In a new interview with Variety, the singer reflected on the relationship he has with his wife, sharing that their open communication is key to their dynamic.

“There’s times I wish I said sorry to somebody before they drifted out of my life or ‘I love you’ to someone who passed away, and I never got the chance,” Urban shared. “It took marrying Nic to learn all about that, learn about how to really communicate properly and speak and say things. I could write a good love song, but I was terrible at relationships because I didn’t really know.”

The topic of communication came up while Urban was discussing his song “Say Something,” from his new album The Speed of Now Part 1, which features a second verse discussing the need to speak up about important emotions, at attitude Urban says is the opposite of the one his father possessed.

“‘Don’t say anything, don’t get on soapboxes, don’t preach to people. Just get on with your life and your work, and don’t rock the boat,’” the Grammy winner said of his dad’s attitude. “So I thought, ‘How does this song resonate with me?’ Because I think there are times where silence is dangerous, and we need to speak up — and I’m glad a lot of that is happening around the world finally right now. It’s imperative. But I also thought about the way I was raised by my dad.”

Urban explained that he appreciates the fact that his family saw value in letting actions speak louder than words, “we also didn’t speak about intimate things in our house. So it’s not just about being out there in the world on your soapbox. It’s also about being in my intimate family where we really didn’t speak about things. Silence wasn’t good there either.”

Urban and Kidman now share daughters Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret, and the singer said he’s “glad that our girls are in a very different environment where we talk about things all the time.” Last month, Urban told Entertainment Tonight that he “married well.”

“We’re best friends,” he said of himself and Kidman. “That’s the foundation of everything for us, is we’re just entwined and I feel very, very blessed and grateful.”