Keith Urban is back with new music this year, an introspective track titled, ‘God Whispered Your Name.’ He debuted the song late February during his label’s luncheon, held at the Ryman Auditorium during Country Radio Seminar.
The new tune, which is a flirty, bouncy and danceable ode to the kind of love that comes along and changes everything, was penned by James Slater, Shy Carter, Micah Carter, and Chris August. Keith Urban said that the song “really spoke to me the very first time I heard it.” He knew right then and there that he had to get into the studio and record the song.
The song may be catchy and beat-focused, but it has some prominent gospel inflections, too. The second verse, in particular, “when it said’ I can see the sunshine for the first time in a while,’ it just went right to the core of me,” said Keith Urban.
“‘God Whispered Your Name’ absolutely spoke to me and tells my journey in such a profound way going through a season in life of being very lost and lonely and confused and not knowing how to get out of that.”
A week after its release, ‘God Whispered Your Name’ became his biggest streaming debut to date. It peaked at No. 13 in Billboard’s U.S. Country Airplay and No. 14 in Billboard’s U.S. Hot Country Songs.
Keith Urban Took “God Whispered Your Name” to Another Level With New Music Video
As the song continues moving up the charts, Keith Urban’s ‘God Whispered Your Name comes to life in his latest music video. The four-minute clip was directed by Jennifer Massaux, who vividly captured scenes that perfectly matched the song.
“The only visual I had in mind for the video of ‘God Whispered Your Name’ was to try and capture a sense of being isolated, lonely, dark place. And then being able to, across the whole video, start moving into the light just a little bit more each time,” Keith Urban explaining that this was the only direction he gave to Massaux.
Keith Urban also revealed that making the music video comes with some challenges. The dark and lonely place that can be seen in the video is located underneath a warehouse in Nashville. And according to Keith Urban, it was “literally the darkest, dank and smelly place.”
But the smell wasn’t the only challenge the country singer had to face. “There was water in this room that I thought was like an inch deep,” Urban said. “So, I opened the door, walked in, and it was really about a foot. The first idea I had was to put my feet and socks into a garbage bag – tie them up and put my shoes on. I’d have my foot, my sock, a garbage bag, and then my shoe – it made so much sense – but the water went everywhere. At the end of the shoot, I took my boots off, and they were drenched – probably as much water in the bag as there was in the waterway!”
But as the soaring ballad of love went on, Keith Urban found himself in a much better place: on the top of a boulder with a picturesque view outside the small town of Lancaster, California. While the setting transformed into the song’s optimistic message, it was unsettling to Urban, who can be seen playing his guitar while balancing on top of a boulder of an extraordinary mountainscape. It is yet another challenge for the country singer.
“Playing guitar atop a boulder is definitely not a great idea. You just kinda lose yourself in what you’re doing, and every minute or two, you realize what you’re doing, and you think, ‘I better not fall off this big ass boulder,'” Urban Said.
But in the end, Keith Urban’s goal for ‘God Whispered Your Name’ is pretty basic. “For me, a good music video takes the song to another level. It maybe gives the song a bit more dimension, and hopefully, we’ve done that with this one.”
There’s More To Come
The country singer revealed that ‘God Whispered Your Name’ is part of the whole bunch of new songs that will soon come out. Keith Urban also announced that he’d be hosting the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards, which will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on September 16, 2020.
He is also nominated in one category, for Male Artist of the Year. Remember that Keith Urban is the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year, but surprisingly he did not get nominated in that category this year.
“As if having a new song out today wasn’t enough, I also get to host the ACMs in April,” he wrote in a statement. “I’ll tell you — this year already feels like the most creative and energized year of my life… and there’s so much more to come. Incredibly grateful — and ready to roll!”
The event was originally planned to be aired on April 5 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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