Keith Urban learned how to deal with his early marital problems with actress Nicole Kidman by examining their issues through his music.
The country singer has been married to actress Nicole for 10 years, but he had a lot to learn early on in their marriage because he didn't know how to react to the Moulin Rouge! star's emotions.
"A lot of those really simple, tough lines in (my song) The Fighter are straight from early in my relationship with Nic," he tells Hitsdailydouble.com. "I had such a learning curve in our marriage! When she'd get scared, I'd think she was angry; then I'd get defensive, go tearing out the driveway... and that's when it all gets pear-shaped. What she needs... is for me to stay, to be close, to hear her. Get Closer: the album title alone was literally from this new awareness I had with this reality of how to react. When things are tough or upsetting, it's about pulling her close. That's what she needs, and I had to learn it."
"It was like that with (my song) Stupid Boy," he continues. "Sarah Buxton had put out an album and I was listening on the bus. I said to Nic, 'I need a song like that,' and she said, 'Why don't you do this song?' And I was thinking it was a woman singing. Nicole was so clear: 'You're the stupid boy. Sing the whole song, and then at the end put it out there'."
The 48-year-old also praises Nicole for being open and honest with him and insists the way she communicates with him has helped him become a better husband.
"First and foremost, my marriage with Nic informs everything," he says. "Nic is so unbelievably open; she doesn't keep things in or bottle them up. She's really a great communicator. Because of her, if I open up, every day, I'm listening and growing and learning. If I'm a better man, it's because of her."
