For Keith Urban, Marriage Comes Before Anything Else

Keith Urban may be one of the busiest stars in country music, but the wildly successful country singer and American Idol judge says that there's one thing that always comes before everything else: his marriage to Nicole Kidman.

In an intimate Q&A session at Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, Urban opened up about his nine-year marriage to the Australian actress.

Urban and Kidman wed in June of 2006 and have since welcomed two daughters together. Kidman has talked about her husband's dedication to their marriage before, revealing that the "Raise ‘Em Up" singer writes her a letter for every single night he's away from home — which, considering his massive touring schedule and judging gig on American Idol, is more than just a couple nights a year! But while Kidman has celebrated her husband's romantic side, Urban says that his actions are simply necessary acts to keep their marriage flourishing.

"Someone said one time, 'If your marriage isn't your priority, you're not married,' and I thought, for me that's so true," he says (quote via Xpose). "So as long as I keep her as a priority, everything else sort of seems to work. And when I don't keep it as a priority, it's ... Jenga."

Urban also credits his wife for their success in being married, saying that she is "extraordinary at keeping everything sort of scheduled and balanced," and he adds that the couple and their family make it a point to be thankful for every moment, knowing that all their blessings could disappear just as quickly as they came.

"The moment right now is a gift, and that's why they call it the present. But it's so true ... the only thing that's real is right now," says Urban, citing his recent trip to the Academy Awards with Kidman and their front-row seats as an example. "It's all fleeting — those moments where people like us get to sit on the front row. You don't sit on the front row your whole career. You start back there. So I don't want to miss it while I'm on the front row, because it doesn't last that long."

Urban's approach to life and marriage is certainly one that will serve him well as the singer gears up to start work on his ninth studio album and continues his busy schedule with American Idol, plus live performances through the summer — performances that include stops at the Taste of Country Music Festival and Country Jam Colorado.

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