Keith Urban Confirms ‘American Idol’ Rumors

Could Keith Urban be the next judge on "American Idol"? The country superstar is one of several artists the hit reality talent show has approached about filling a seat at the judges' table. But Keith Urban fans, don't hold your breath.

"They did reach out to us," the singer confirms to Australian radio station Newstalk ZB. "But they've been reaching out to a lot of people, so I think they're still figuring out which way they are going to go."

Fellow country star Toby Keith has already turned down the opportunity to appear on "Idol," while rumors continue to swirl that Brad Paisley has also been in talks with show's producers. Keith dodged answering whether he would join returning judge Randy Jackson, along with newly-appointed judge Mariah Carey, for the show's 12th season. But it doesn't seem likely. "All I can say right now is that I'm trying to make an album, and it's strange how these opportunities seem to all come in one big fell swoop," he notes. "My priority right now is just making the record, and that's really got to lead the charge for me."

The Grand Ole Opry member, who served as a mentor on the first season of Australia's "The Voice" earlier this year, says he hopes to return to that singing competition, but making music is still his first priority. "I would love to do 'The Voice' again," Keith says. "I'm making an album right now. That might continue on through the beginning of the year. If it does, I'm not going to be able to commit to 'The Voice.' But if we can get this album wrangled a little sooner, then I would be able to do it ... I really enjoyed doing it last time. I got along great with Seal and Joel [Madden] and Delta [Goodrem], and if they were all in again, it would be a blast to do it again with them."

Whether or not Keith joins the cast of "The Voice" or "American Idol," the Aussie remains a firm believer in televised talent competitions. "You've always got your nay-sayers, saying you've really got to go out and pay your dues and slog it out for years and years, but I don't think any artist wants to slog it out for ten years if there was a shortcut. But at the same time, a shortcut comes with other issues, and if you get thrown out in front of an arena full of people and you don't have much live experience, you're going to learn in front of all these people how to fall on your face."

With eight studio albums to his credit, it may seem Nicole Kidman's husband would have the process down to a routine, but he says he is approaching the recording of his new album differently than any of his previous projects.

"I started writing with a lot of different people, so I'm really enjoying the process," Keith reports. "I'm going about it in a different way. I wanted to write with people I've never written with before. I wanted to be in the studio with musicians and collaborative people I've never been in the studio before with, so in many ways this is like the first (album) of the next chapter. It's a little bit of unchartered territory for me."

Keith has plenty of shows on his calendar for the remainder of 2012, including a show tonight (August 24) in New York, before his Autralian trek kicks off in Brisbane on January 25. Follow his concert schedule here.

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