Classroom Of Young Fans Delighted At Keith Urban's 'Generosity' During Surprise Virtual Call

Dec 08, 2022 by apost team

Country music singer Keith Urban is a legend in his own right. Originally born in New Zealand, Urban has been making waves internationally ever since he landed in Nashville, Tennessee, in the early 1990s. Beloved for his music, he’s also shown himself to be a kind and generous person who seems to always have a positive attitude, which has made him incredibly popular with his fans.

Born in Whangarei, New Zealand, Urban is one of the most prolific country music artists in the world. At the young age of 2 years old, Urban and his family moved to Queensland, Australia, where he expressed an early interest in music a few years later. His parents supported his early interest in the art form, and he began playing the ukulele and guitar at 6 years old. His father, who owned a convenience store at the time, even put up a poster to scour the neighborhood for a guitar teacher to help his son. 

Urban went on to enter local singing competitions. Ultimately, Urban made it into the music business in Australia. In 1990, he released his self-titled album and became a backup act to Australian music icon Slim Dusty, which led him to Nashville.  

Interestingly, his passion for singing country music is a reflection of the tastes of his parents, who had helped him pursue his interest in music at a young age. This fueled Urban’s desire to push even further, so he formed the Australian-American trio The Ranch, but they eventually disbanded after releasing one album. He then began his solo music career and released his first self-titled American album in 1999, which was certified platinum and birthed Urban's first No. 1 song on the Billboard Country charts. 

While Urban is mostly known for being a huge star, he also has a huge heart. So, when he heard about the children at Urbenville Public School, he knew he wanted to get involved.

Located in the little town of Urbenville, New South Wales, Australia, the young children at the school regularly organized choirs to sing for a local elderly care home. Even when the pandemic hit and lockdowns were put in place in early 2020, the children continued to entertain those at the care home, many of whom were their own relatives, by making videos of themselves singing. Under the tutelage of Principal Chris Sifko, the children enjoyed giving back to the community.

“Some of them probably don’t have the most angelic voices,” Sifko told ABC Australia, “but for me, it was the sentiment that really humbled me.”

Sifko said the school planned to hold a mini-concert called “Little Stars Under The Big Stars” at the end of 2021, with one celebrity in mind as a special guest – Keith Urban.

“He’s a big hit with the kids and the staff,” Sifko added. When prompted as to why Urban was their choice, one pupil said, “Because we have a lot of people who are his biggest fans and we have been really down and we’re also trying to send positive messages to the community.” Another student echoed the sentiment, imploring Urban to “help be in our videos and tell everyone that it’s OK, lockdowns will be done soon.”

It appeared Urban got the message, and his response sent the school – and all his littlest big fans in it – into a wholesome frenzy.

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On Dec. 12, 2021, the students were corralled into a classroom and sat before a screen, unsure of what was going on. As a Zoom call started, Urban’s face popped up.

“Hi guys! How is everybody?" Urban said to the stunned children, some of whom began to cry. While Sifko and the school staff knew ahead of time Urban would be appearing, they held the fact from the students to give them a wonderful surprise. However, Urban apologized for not being able to be there in person due to scheduling conflicts.

“I was actually wanting to try and work out how I could get to your school, but because we're here filming (TV show) ‘The Voice,’ I can't get the time to sneak away and come and see you guys,” he explained, adding “So I said 'what else can we do?' And they said we could Zoom, so thank you so much for zooming with me this morning.”

During the 40-minute chat, the children asked Urban questions such as what his favorite songs to perform are. However, Urban did not leave the children empty-handed: he gifted the school five guitars for the students to play while there, as well as 16 guitars for each individual student to take home. He also had one more surprise up his sleeve.

“I'd love to properly meet you all so that's the best way to do it," he said. "I can't come to your concert, so maybe you can come to mine." So in December 2022, the children were able to meet their idol backstage at a Brisbane concert.

"It's the most amazing experience I think I've ever had," one of the teachers, Mel Sifko, said. "The generosity of Keith and his team was just amazing."

What do you think of Urban’s amazing surprises for the children? Are you a fan of his too? Let us know, and don’t forget to pass this along to friends and family, as well as all the country music fans you know!