Keith Urban is in the running for four trophies, including Entertainer of the Year, at the 51st annual Country Music Association Awards tonight (Nov. 8), but -- win or lose -- his most important…
Keith Urban is in the running for four trophies, including Entertainer of the Year, at the 51st annual Country Music Association Awards tonight (Nov. 8), but — win or lose — his most important contribution to the event might well be the song he plans to debut.
Capitol Nashville released a new single, “Female,” to radio stations at 6 a.m. ET, hours before the performance on ABC. Roughly three weeks old, the song was inspired in part by the Harvey Weinstein scandal in Hollywood’s film industry. Urban recorded it on Halloween, and the quick release ensures that the song gets attention while the nation is still discussing the predatory behavior and abuse of power at the heart of that ongoing story.
“As a husband and a father of two young girls, it affects me in a lot of ways,” Urban tells Billboard of the song’s empowering message. “And as a son — my mother is alive. It just speaks to all of the females in my life, particularly. For a guy who grew up with no sisters in a house of boys, it’s incredible how now I’m surrounded by girls. But not only in my house; I employ a huge amount of women in my team. The song just hit me for so many reasons.”
“Female” was crafted by three of Nashville’s current go-to songwriters — Ross Copperman (“Setting The World On Fire,” “Wanna Be That Song”), Nicolle Galyon (“Smooth,” “All The Pretty Girls”) and Shane McAnally (“Body Like A Back Road,” “Different For Girls”) — during the early stages of the Weinstein saga in October. The New York Times published the initial story Oct. 5, and the writers’ reaction to it was enhanced by the sensitive emotional state created by the Oct. 1 massacre of 58 fans at a country concert in Las Vegas.
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