Keith Urban and Tamworth Festival Unite for Rising Talent and Charity Too

Four-time Grammy winner Keith Urban and the Tamworth Country Music Festival have unveiled the “Keith Urban Rising Star Scholarship,” an initiative primed to propel Australia’s next crop of country artists into the Nashville spotlight. The scholarship promises a career-changing journey, live performances, songwriting, industry meetings, and even two days recording at Urban’s own Nashville studio, The Sound (formerly the iconic Tracking Room).

“Sometimes all a musician needs is an opportunity to be heard or someone to help nurture their talent,” says Urban in a statement. It’s a fitting sentiment from a star who, from busking on Tamworth’s Peel Street to winning the Star Maker Award at 22, rose through the very talent–spotting pathways the scholarship now seeks to open for others.

Tamworth Festival executive Peter Ross enthused: “Keith is the living embodiment of the Tamworth Festival pathway to success… we want to help give other artists the opportunity to take Australian country music to the world.”

To apply, hopefuls can submit via the Tamworth Country Music Festival’s platform starting January 2026. The winning artist will have flights, accommodation and the full Nashville experience covered.

But charity remains a steady theme in Urban’s journey. Over the years, he’s contributed to a wide range of causes, from children’s hospitals like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Make-A-Wish Foundation, to MusiCares, Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, and the Navy SEAL Foundation. He’s also lent his support to Stand Up To Cancer, Sweet Relief, Habitat for Humanity, and Red Cross.

In 2019, Urban established the Just Cause Fund through the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, directing grants to nonprofits that amplify love and compassion across communities. His altruism extends to local impact, too: in 2023, he and wife Nicole Kidman quietly donated over $20,000 to the Sunshine Coast charity Cycling Without Age, helping fund a trishaw to aid seniors and people with disabilities.

Meanwhile, Keith Urban hits the road in August 2025, bringing his High and Alive World Tour to Australia for the first time since 2022. The tour kicked off at Newcastle Entertainment Centre on 13 August, followed by Brisbane shows on 15 and 16 August, with Wollongong on tomorrow 20 August, Sydney on 22 and 23 August, Melbourne on 25 and 26 August, and Adelaide wrapping up on 28 August Rising country star Chase Matthew opens, and homegrown fiddle ace Gabi Louise of Wicker Suite will join Urban’s band as the sole Australian member on the eight-city run.

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Tagged as: 90s, Australia, country, Keith Urban