Keith Urban's upcoming album, Flow State, will feature mostly covers of classic yacht rock hits, as well as one original song with Michael McDonald
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Additional collaborators on the album include John Mayer, Little Big Town and producer Dann Huff
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Urban describes the project as an "unexpected evolution" inspired by music from his younger years
Keith Urbanis entering aFlow Statewith his forthcoming album, and in the process, discovering new things about himself as a musician.
Speaking with PEOPLE ahead of his induction into the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville on Tuesday, April 28, Urban says, "This recordFlow Statewas just an unexpected evolution of music really."
"I bought a studio in Nashville and all I wanted to do was break it in by doing a song or two," he shares. "And we thought just for fun, we would do a couple of yacht rock songs. I had no intention of releasing it. It was just something to do that we really loved playing that kind of music."
What manifested, for Urban, was a cathartic return to music that he resonated with emotionally in his younger years. The album, which is comprised almost wholly of covers spanning yacht rock mainstays, also includes one original Urban song to round the package out. Along for the ride with the four-time Grammy winner are the likes of The Doobie Brothers'Michael McDonald,Little Big TownandJohn Mayer, who serve as the album's only listed features. Production was handled by Urban alongside Dann Huff.
On Wednesday, April 29, two songs from the project hit streaming services: Urban's collaboration with McDonald, titled "We Go Back," which serves as the album's only original track, and a solo cover of the Seals & Crofts hit "Summer Breeze." Both songs effortlessly convey Urban's signature electric and acoustic guitar stylings as well as tandem harmonics, while the latter, specifically, presents a stunning homage to a genre classic.
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"We all had such a good time in the studio. We said, 'Well, let's do a couple more.' And over the course of four or five months, it went from just a couple of songs to four to seven to 10 to 11 and it just kept growing and became an album, but it was never a conscious decision," Urban tells PEOPLE of his creative process onFlow State.
Looking back at where he was with his craft 10 years ago versus today, Urban recognizes that the path hasn't always been linear, and that his perspectives have mainly been honed through road-worn experience. "I think all of that can only come with time," he reflects. "Less is more."
"It's evolutionary in its expression," he adds. "What it is that a musician has to say at some point is relative to where they're at, what they've been through, and that can only continue to evolve with life experience."
The artist started teasing fans aboutFlow Stateduring an appearance on March 19 at the Country Radio Seminar (CRS) in Nashville, saying, "It's a thematic record of yacht rock songs. You think I'm kidding? I'm not kidding."
Urban was among a star-studded class of inductees at the 2026 edition of the Musicians Hall of Fame event. Other artists who were honored includedDolly Parton,George Thorogood & The Destroyers, John Boylan, Leland Sklar, Nicky Hopkins (posthumously) andFlow Statecollaborators Huff and McDonald.
Flow Statewill be out on all major streaming platforms June 12.
Read the original article onPeople