Keith Urban

G'Bye, Mate

After scoring four No. 1 country singles in Australia in 1991, Urban moves to Nashville, Tenn. "I know I would be a little fish in a big sea, but that's the appeal," he tells Australia's Sunday Mail. While there, Urban struggles for years and develops a cocaine addiction. "I remember crawling around on my hands and knees, looking for these little rocks at 5 in the morning, and I was drenched in sweat. It was the worst," he tells USA Weekend. In 1998, he checks into Cumberland Heights, a treatment center in Nashville.

April

Hey, Cowboy

Urban bares it all for Playgirl magazine, posing nude with only a strategically placed guitar over his crotch. The Today show calls him a "country hottie," and reporter Jill Rappaport tells him he's the "male version of Faith Hill." Urban responds, "I hope my girlfriend doesn't look like [Hill's husband] Tim McGraw."

October 08

Paving His Path to Stardom

With the release of his second album, Golden Road, Urban establishes himself as a bona fide star in Nashville. The record hits No. 11 on the overall Billboard charts and gives him three No. 1 country singles ("Somebody Like You," "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me?" and "You'll Think of Me").

September 21

Here and Now

Urban crosses over to mainstream audiences with Be Here, which peaks at No. 3 on the Billboard albums chart. Twelve years after landing in Nashville, Urban launches his first headlining tour. Of the tour, he tells PEOPLE, "We're on buses versus crammed into a van, and people are showing up versus not showing up. And they know your songs!"

January 15

Eyes Wide Open

In L.A. for a dinner honoring famous Australians, Urban meets actress Nicole Kidman. The pair are first spotted spending time together in July, and Kidman becomes a mainstay on his Urban's Alive in '05 tour. By November Kidman is spotted wearing a sparkling ring on her finger as the two – who won't comment on the relationship – prepare to host Thanksgiving at his Nashville home with both sets of parents in attendance.