Keith Urban Reacts to His 2017 ACM Awards Nods: ‘What the Hell Is Going On?’

It's not every day that you come home from an ordinary errand (dropping your kids off at school) to extraordinary news, but on Thursday (Feb. 16), Keith Urban arrived back home from doing just that and found his phone filled with messages: While he was out, Urban had received seven nominations for the 2017 ACM Awards -- the most of any artist this year.

"I thought, 'What the hell is going on?' I had no clue ...," Urban tells Rolling Stone Country. "What a great way to find out."

The significance of his large amount of 2017 ACM nods is not lost on Urban, who recently performed at the 2017 Grammy Awards with Carrie Underwood.

“I’ve been a musician since I was six years old. I just love writing songs, making records and touring. So for the ACMs to recognize Ripcord in such a big way today is humbling,” says Urban in a press release. “I share these nominations with everyone in my life who made it possible -- and a BIG shoutout to all of our fans, who came out to see us on the Ripcord Tour. Can’t wait to play for you all again soon.”

Urban received his seven nods in five categories: Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year (Ripcord), Single Record of the Year ("Blue Ain't Your Color"), Song of the Year ("Blue Ain't Your Color") and the revered Entertainer of the Year. It is the first time that the "Cop Car" singer has been nominated for Entertainer of the Year since 2011, and he calls the honor an "all-encompassing acknowledgment."

"I guess everybody defines that particular category and nomination differently," Urban reflects. "Personally, I've always seen it from a touring standpoint. I've always thought it's about, 'Do you entertain? Can you put on a show?' I've always taken that nomination name so literally. Of course, I love touring. I've done it since I was a little kid. To get that nomination is just an extraordinary feeling."

The 2017 ACM Awards are set to take place in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 2, and air live on CBS beginning at 8PM ET. For the first time ever, the show will take place at T-Mobile Arena; Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley will return as co-hosts.

The Boot will be staying up late covering the most buzzed-about winners, fashion and moments at the 2017 ACM Awards. Readers can watch along with us by checking back to TheBoot.com for the latest ACMs headlines, liking The Boot on Facebook and following The Boot on Twitter.

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