Keith Urban's not waiting until his next songwriting session to tell fans about his hard-knock year. Instead, the country superstar has taken his story directly to the people.
In a video message posted Monday to his official Website (keithurban.net), the recently rehabbed singer explained to fans the unexpected course his life took last October, when he voluntarily checked himself in to the Betty Ford Center near Palm Springs, California.
"There was no cataclysmic event that happened right before I went in," said Urban, who taped the message last Thursday. "What it was, was a lot of small things that were happening in my life and a lot of small moments that were starting to accumulate that were telling me very loud and clear that I was a long way from my program of recovery...and that were making my life unmanageable."
The 39-year-old entertainer, who in the early '90s completed a stint in rehab for cocaine addiction, said that while the timing of his program was "far from ideal" and held "a lot of consequences"—forcing him to be MIA for his birthday, the holidays, the release of his fifth studio album, Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing, and his being crowned Male Vocalist of the Year at the CMA Awards—he initially only intended to be away for 30 days.
However, after beginning treatment he quickly found himself "learning to surrender," particularly with regards to his career, and that it got to the point where "30 days became 60, 60 days became 90."
"I learned what they say in there, that abstinence is the ticket into the movie, it's not the movie," he said.
"It's hard to quantify what I learned in 90 days, but suffice it to say, it's been one of the most impactful times of my whole life."
Not least of all, Urban said, because of the barrage of unexpected support, in the form of hundreds of emails and letters, he received from fans.
"I can't even tell you how much that helped me. I felt very, very loved and I felt very supported," he said.
The Grammy winner credits the well-wishes with being particularly helpful through "a lot of the lonely days, which, there was plenty."
Though his fans weren't the only ones whose merited a shout-out on the video—his wife of seven months, Nicole Kidman, was also heralded.
"My wife stayed extraordinarily strong and loving," he said.
Urban checked into the clinic on Oct. 19 and confirmed that, as of last week, he had successfully completed his stint.
"It's been really overwhelming," he said in his video message. "It feels really good to have gone through it and be where I am right now, 'cause where I am right now is starting on that road to getting back to doing what I love, which is playing music."
In fact, he's already on the road—literally and figuratively.
Last week, he appeared on the German talk show Wetten, das...?, where Urban said he was "feeling much better." He also revealed that his single "Once in a Lifetime" was inspired by his marriage to Kidman.
That song is up for Male Country Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards on Feb. 11. Then in April, Urban kicks off an extended road trip, performing a handful of intimate club dates in the U.K. and Germany followed by arena tour in Australian in May. He'll bring the whole crazy show to the U.S. in June.