Next Wednesday (October 11th), Keith Urban will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, along with Kix Brooks, David Lee Murphy, Casey Beathard and Rafe Van Hoy, and he says it’s one of the biggest honors of his career.

“Being invited into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame is hands down one of the highest honors that’s ever happened to me,” says Keith. “I’ve always loved writing songs. I’ve always loved great songwriters, and so, you know, this is a songwriting town. I mean first the song always. The song is the very first thing. To be in this group, this incredible group of songwriters is a bit surreal. Honestly, it’s probably still sinking in.”

Keith is thrilled to be inducted alongside many of his friends, especially Kix Brooks of Brooks and Dunn, who was a champion of Keith’s in the early days of his Nashville career. “This particular group, this Class of ‘23 (laughs), I guess, is surreal. I know all of these guys; Casey Beathard is the only guy that I haven’t really met, but I’ve known David Lee Murphy for a long time, Rafe Van Hoy, Kix Brooks, of course,” he says. “Kix is like my brother from another mother. He was one of the first people in town to really get behind what I was doing. I had a band at the time called The Ranch and Kix came and saw us play in a tiny little club and invited us to go out and open some shows for Brooks & Dunn even before we ever had any music out. We had nothing on the radio. He was just a great believer of mine. So to be inducted in the same year that Kix is particularly sweet.”

All five members will be formally inducted during the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on Wednesday, October 11th, at the Music City Center.

Keith’s Las Vegas residency returns to the Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas on November 1st and runs through November 18th.