The Truth About Keith Urban And Taylor Swift's Relationship
Taylor Swift has quite the history of public friendship highs and lows. From flaunting her "squad" in her "Bad Blood" music video and throughout her 1989 World Tour stops to her aggressive fallout with Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West, which caused Swift to hide from the public eye for quite some time, we have seen her go through it all. One friendship that has remained strong for the long haul, though, is her bond with country singer Keith Urban.
It makes sense the two are tight. Urban is country music royalty, and Swift is a top-selling country artist turned worldwide pop sensation. Urban's A-list wife Nicole Kidman is also pals with her, and even took their two daughters to Swift's Reputation Tour on the same night Urban was performing, as reported by Express Digest. Urban and Swift's paths have crossed multiple times over the years, even after she left her country roots to explore pop music.
Here's the truth about Keith Urban and Taylor Swift's friendship.
Keith Urban and Taylor Swift's bond formed with country roots
Keith Urban and Taylor Swift's relationship sprouted when the Aussie singer invited the Pennsylvania native to join his Escape Together Tour in 2009 as an opening act. They appeared to have a blast touring together, especially when Swift pranked Urban onstage during a sold-out show when he and his band were performing "Kiss a Girl" (via Music Mayhem Magazine).
During that song, the band dressed up in KISS-themed garb, and Swift decided to join the guitarists by putting on her own wig and jamming out, only to reveal herself to Urban at the end by pulling off her wild hair. A fan-recorded video shows Urban smiling after the revelation and Swift doing her famous hair-flip.
These award-winning singers worked together a few years later with Tim McGraw on his song "Highway Don't Care" right as Swift was readying herself to fully transition to pop music. Swift provided supporting vocals while Urban played guitar on the track. The trio performed the song together at the 2013 CMA Fest, and later won Musical Event of the Year ahead of the 2013 Country Music Association Awards.
While Swift completely left the country music scene until releasing the pop/indie folk folklore album in 2020 (which landed her a performance at the Academy of Country Music Awards for the first time in seven years), Urban hasn't let their difference in genre affect their sweet friendship.
Keith Urban and Taylor Swift remain friends despite differing genres
Keith Urban and Taylor Swift's relationship is one that spans the genres. They proved their strong bond when Swift flipped the script and invited the father-of-two to perform his hit "Somebody Like You" at her 1989 World Tour, paying homage to her country beginnings.
A few years later, Urban showed his adoration of the "Betty" singer when he tweeted a heartfelt note about "Lover," the title track of Swift's 2019 album. "When a song so exquisitely written becomes a record so gorgeously crafted I feel such a deep sense of gratitude for the 'art' of making music," he said. Swift — known for her dramatic, but genuine, reactions — was floored when she read the message. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME THIS IS THE NICEST THING ANYONE HAS EVER SAID – you're just the best and so kind to say this," she replied.
The excitement continued when Urban spontaneously covered "Lover" in concert the following month. Urban posted a clip on Instagram, writing, "Every now and then you hear a song that you love and wish you'd written.... and a HUGE thx to my band as well- we didn't get to rehearse so.... this is us fully winging." Swift shared the performance to both her Instagram and Twitter (via Good Morning America), saying he covered it "flawlessly" and that her heart "exploded."
This friendship is clearly full of love and respect, and the kind displays of affection don't stop on social media.
Keith Urban gushed over Taylor Swift at the 2020 Grammys
Keith Urban has not calmed down about his reverence for Taylor Swift over the years. In a Billboard interview at the 2020 Grammys, he maintained that he's a huge fan following the release of Lover. "She's one of the great songwriters period," he gushed. "Not coincidentally my two favorite songs on that whole album 'Cornelius Street' and 'Lover' she wrote both of them, so she's an amazing songwriter." Little did he know that a few months later, he and all the other Swifties would be surprised with folklore.
Urban has yet to comment on Swift's eighth album, but his wife Nicole Kidman took to Instagram to praise the record-breaking project. Kidman posted a throwback photo from the set of her 2017 war drama The Beguiled, wearing a frilly white dress that resembles Swift's style in her folklore photoshoot. "On the set of #BeguiledMovie #Folklore Sisters... Love this album xx," Kidman wrote.
While Swift has been private about her friendships as of late, she definitely doesn't deprive her fans of sweet public displays of affection with her pals. It looks like Urban and Swift's relationship is as supportive and genuine as it was when it began over a decade ago.