Country superstar Keith Urban released “The Fighter” as the fifth single from his Grammy Award-nominated album, Ripcord. Featuring 7-time Grammy winner Carrie Underwood, “The Fighter” headed to radio today, and will also be performed by the pair at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 12 on CBS.
“It comes from a very real place,” said Urban in a release. “It’s a song about helping to heal and protect someone you love. It’s a song about reassurance that you’ll always be there to take the blows the world can throw. Carrie and I had sung together before and I thought our voices blended really well – so she was unquestionably the right choice. It was such a relief that she wanted to do it.”
Urban is a 3-time Grammy nominee for this year’s awards alone, securing nominations for Best Country Album (Ripcord), Best Country Solo Performance (“Blue Ain’t Your Color”) and Best Country Song (“Blue Ain’t Your Color”). Together, Urban and Underwood have a combined total of 11 Grammy Awards, which makes it no surprise that the duo is expected to deliver a stellar performance at this year’s show.
The single veers strongly towards pop, featuring loud, glittering production and punchy artificial drums. It’s catchy and ultra-danceable, offering a significantly more upbeat sound than Urban’s previous bluesy single, “Blue Ain’t Your Color.”
Catch the 59th Annual Grammy Awards Sunday, February 12th on CBS and see the complete list of dates for Keith Urban’s Ripcord World Tour here.