Capitol NashvilleWhen Keith Urban heard the title of a new play coming to New York City, he knew Ripcord should be the name of his new album as well. “I thought, ‘Gosh that just sounds right. That has the right originality, the right motion, the right energy,” he recalls. Once he considered what a ripcord can do for you, he was even more convinced.
“If you’re leaping out of a plane with a parachute, you’re grabbing that ripcord to save your life, and I thought that was an incredible metaphor, because music for me is really about that. It can really save lives. I’m sure there’s plenty of people listening right now who’s got their hand on the radio testifyin’,” he says, drifting into a southern drawl. “It’s got extraordinary power. Music has been that for me, many times.”
The Australian superstar confesses jumping out of an aircraft also has something in common with the way he dives in when he starts recording.
“I just set out to capture what I’m into and where I’m at right now really — and that’s every record for me. You go in and you record a song like ‘John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16’… and you go, ‘Here it is. Now we’re off and running!’ It’s pure discovery.”
Diving in, Keith can handle. But knowing when to land is another story.
“I find it hard to finish records,” he admits, “because I don’t know where one finishes and the next one starts. It’s a continuum, so I guess you just end when you have an opening night,” he laughs. “That’s when the record’s finished!”
Keith’s opening night comes June 2, as he launches his tour that takes its name from his latest offering. Ripcord is new in stores and online today.
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