Keith Urban Reveals a Life-Altering Moment He Had at 13 Years Old

When Keith Urban was 13, he was your average teenager. It wouldn't be until late that year that the little blond high schooler got his first taste of the spotlight, but it wasn't a good thing for him.

During a recent episode of Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast, Urban recalls a story from his childhood that changed everything about the trajectory of his life.

"They were doing a production of Oliver, and they were like, 'We need a little blond-haired kid who can sing,'" he remembers.

He jokes that they didn't have a lot of options, so the "Messed Up as Me" singer scored the role.

"I can't act for sh--, but I can sing, so I got the gig," he says.

"They did this picture of me holding the little bowl, and they stuck it on a little badge or pin thing and handed them out to all the kids in school," he says. "It was like my first taste of fame."

He remembers the transition from middle school to high school being tough for him, but this — starring as Oliver in the school production of Oliver — made him instantly popular as a young freshman.

But it didn't take long for reality to resurface, he says.

"About a week after the musical finished, it was right back to sh-- zero again and I went, 'I got it, okay, I see, I got it.'"

Urban admits that it was "an amazing lesson to learn at 13 that this is all bullsh-- and don't buy into it."

Meaning, fame is a trend — don't let it determine your worth. Still, fans will be clamoring to see the star when he embarks on his just-announced High and Alive World Tour.