Long before Keith Urban was judging singers on American Idol, he was a contestant on a talent competition back when was 9. Yesterday on Conan, he told the TBS host about his experience.
His parents told him to go on a show called Pot of Gold and he sang a Country song on it. When he was done, it was time to be judged. Bernard King told the kid, “I desperately encourage you to escape the mediocrity, get out of Country Western and get into some real music.” Then the judge added, “Otherwise, you will end up sounding like Dolly Parton and absolutely useless.”
Imagine if he took that judge’s advice, we probably wouldn’t know he is, he wouldn’t be married to Nicole Kidman and most importantly he wouldn’t be judging American Idol. Would that have been bad thing?