Keith Urban Says It’s ‘Remarkable’ Watching Taylor Swift ‘Grow in Public’: ‘Just Trial by Fire Over and Over’

In a recent interview that was released on Friday, Sept. 20, the country music artist expressed his respect for Swift.

Keith Urban thinks Taylor Swift is amazing!

The 56-year-old country music star expressed his respect for 34-year-old Swift in a recent interview that was released on Friday, September 20, and complimented the singer for overcoming the “brutal” challenges of navigating a lengthy career in the limelight.

“It’s been remarkable watching Taylor grow in public because it’s pretty brutal. It feels like now people have long forgotten all of the s— she had to go through,” Urban told U.K. newspaper The Times, referring to comments on Swift’s 2010 Grammys performance and “critics slamming her.”

“Just trial by fire over and over — and always getting stronger for it,” he added.

Swift and Urban had been friends for a long time since she helped him out on tour in 2009. He told the magazine, “I saw her perform when she opened for us and I was like, ‘Oh, this girl has her sights way beyond this thing.'”

The two continued to perform together on other occasions, such as in 2015 during Swift’s 1989 tour and at the 2014 Grammy Awards. For the 2021 reissue of her 2008 album Fearless, the “Fortnight” singer also asked Urban to rerecord the songs “That’s When (Taylor’s Version)” and “We Were Happy.”

Urban made his remarks on Swift in May, after the pop sensation’s album The Tortured Poets Department was out. He has previously spoken with PEOPLE about the pop diva.

“I mean, God, Taylor’s songwriting, it’s so extraordinary. There’s really no adjectives for it,” the Australian singer raved at the time. “She’s such a great, great writer. So this new album is just more proof of that in really great ways.”

“[Swift] doesn’t sound like anyone,” he continued. “I like singers that you know their voice immediately, and there’s a lot of other singers that sound like them, but they don’t sound like anyone.”

Urban also spoke about his “amazing” experience at Swift’s Eras Tour concert, which he attended with his wife Nicole Kidman in May 2023.

“We had the best time,” he told PEOPLE. “It’s an amazing show. I knew it would be, but it’s a whole other level. I mean, she’s absolutely at the top of her game. This tour is just the best of the best.”