Country Singer Keith Urban Caused a Stir with His Outfit at the CMA Awards – Photos

Keith Urban may not have impressed netizens with his CMA Awards outfit, however, the artist, who released his 11th studio album in September, got the crowd pumped with his and Jelly Roll’s riveting performance.

Country music icon Keith Urban was one of the musical stars who attended the 58th Annual CMA Awards in Nashville, Tennessee on November 20. His choice to opt for a more casual ensemble sparked a flurry of criticisms from social media users who felt the artist could have put more effort into his look.

Urban donned an all-black outfit, including a t-shirt, pants, and a corduroy jacket lined with white fleece inside. He completed his ensemble with black platform shoes and a silver bracelet.

Netizens who saw photos of Urban posing on the red carpet at the event wasted no time expressing their opinions on his appearance.

“It always looks like Keith just made a last minute [sic] decision to show up,” remarked an Instagrammer. Echoing the sentiment, a Facebooker penned, “Could have made more of an effort.”

One user was so offended by Urban’s clothes that they expressed, “I like him however, I feel he has disrespected the red carpet, in this case.” “Keith Urban looks like the guy who hangs outside a small town [sic] gas station,” added someone else.

More critical comments ensued, with yet another observer opining, “Keith Urban is looking rough,” and a spectator stating, “Keith urban [sic] looks like a grandma.” Some people diverted their focus to certain aspects of Urban’s appearance.

“I swear, Keith Urban’s shoes always look four sizes too big for him. Am I alone in this experience?” wrote a user on Reddit. Similarly, another asserted, “Keith Urbans [sic] boots are hilariously big. 😂.”

A Reddit user compared Urban to Larry Birkhead, writing, “Keith Urban out there looking like Anna Nicole’s baby daddy with that wig.”

Commenting on a media outlet’s post, which showed the outfits of several stars like Kacy Musgraves, Megan Moroney, Shaboozey, Simone Biles, and Urban, an Instagrammer observed, “The worst dressed people ever!”

Amid the vitriol came a few praises. “He looks great, comfy and authentic, love our Keith!” complimented a fan. Responding directly to a news outlet’s question asking if what Urban wore on the red carpet was appropriate or not, another admirer answered, “Absolutely!!! You do you keith you rock whatever you wear [sic]😉👍.”

Defending Urban against the negative comments, a fellow fan reasoned, “Clothes don’t make a man. Keith has his own style and who are they to judge. Go Keith after all it is Country right. [sic] 🇦🇺🇦🇺🤠.”

Aside from sparking online buzz with his outfit choice, Urban set the CMA Awards stage ablaze with his electric performance with country star Jelly Roll.

Accompanied by the melodic harmonies of talented background singers and roaring flames that lit up the stage, Jelly Roll belted out the lyrics to his song “Liar,” while Urban jammed out on his guitar.

Urban and Jelly Roll’s performance was so powerful that the pair got the crowd up on their feet. As Jelly Roll’s voice and the notes from Urban’s guitar echoed throughout the venue, the audience bobbed their heads and swayed their bodies to the beat.

“No lies detected in this performance! #CMAawards,” captioned the Country Music Association (CMA) who posted a snippet of their performance on Instagram.

Before Urban and Jelly Roll took the CMA Awards stage, the music organization had built up anticipation for the performance with their announcement that the “Blue Ain’t Your Color” artist and Jelly Roll would collaborate at the awards show.

“That’s right y’all! @KeithUrban is joining @JellyRoll615 on the #CMAawards stage to perform ‘Liar’ LIVE! Watch Country Music’s Biggest Night TOMORROW at 8/7c on ABC! Don’t miss it. 🤩🤩,” reads the post’s caption.

Urban also spoke about his collaboration with Jelly Roll via a video he posted on X before their performance. Footage showed the musician sitting in a bus backstage at the CMA Awards.

“Just ran through the song with Jelly Roll for tonight […] love him. It’s gonna be a very hot performance, you’ll see what I mean tonight. Very hot,” said Urban, referencing the flames that were present on stage.

He continued, “Right now I’m just sitting on the bus waiting to play, got the TV on, and sitting around waiting for some food […] I’ll see you guys tonight, bye.”

Two months prior to his CMA Awards appearance and performance, Urban released his album “HIGH.” On September 20, the musician shared a post about the album on Instagram.

It showed a photo of the album cover, which displayed Urban posing against a beautiful sunset with his guitar, and a comical video of him in the studio.

In the caption, Urban shared, “Life is about contrasts – highs, lows, confidence, insecurity, love found, love lost, clarity, blurry, disciplined, and then the next minute, couldn’t care less.”

“Sexy, warm summers and lonely, cold winters. This album flows with all of these in various ways. Out of all of the things that have changed in my life, one has been a constant. I love making music,” continued the star.

Urban went on to describe the magical feeling he gets when he brings a song to life in the studio and then plays it on stage while “watching complete strangers sing every word.”

He then said, “My desire is for the ‘flow state,’ and that’s what happened when we started this album ‘HIGH.’ It just FLOWED and I feel the spirit of the whole album really reflects that. I hope you feel that too.”

The rest of his message expressed gratitude for all the individuals involved in creating the album and ended by announcing, “HIGH IS OUT NOW !!!! enjoy :).”

According to the album’s description on Apple Music, “HIGH” is influenced by the theme of “living in the moment.” The album’s songs include a feature from country star Lainey Wilson, who “channels Dolly Parton for ‘GO HOME W U,'” which is a duet about “leaving the bar together at closing time.”

Another standout track is a romantic anthem called “STRAIGHT LINE.” “That song’s about breaking out of monotony that sometimes is our own making. And somewhere along the line, life loses a bit of its color and you feel like you’ve lost a bit of your spirit,” explained Keith Urban of the song.

Other album highlights include “LOVE IS HARD,” “CHUCK TAYLORS,” “DAYTONA,” “MESSED UP AS ME,” “LAUGHIN’ ALL THE WAY TO THE DRANK,” “DODGE IN A SILVERADO,” and “BREAK THE CHAIN.”