Keith Urban’s song "The Fighter" once served as a heartfelt love note to his then-wife, Nicole Kidman. This touching tune appeared on Urban’s 2016 album, Ripcord. It was a duet with the powerful voice of Carrie Underwood. The next year, Urban released "The Fighter" as a single. As the song climbed the charts, Urban often shared how Kidman inspired every word.
"It was a very, very quick song to write," he told The Boot in March 2017. "I literally thought of Nic, myself, and our early relationship. Some things we said became part of that song." For a time, "The Fighter" stood as a testament to their love, a classic in Urban’s live shows. However, the story took a sharp turn. A prominent news channel confirmed that Kidman and Urban had split after nearly two decades of marriage.
Kidman filed for divorce from Urban in September 2025. After this, the song gained new attention online. Fans noticed Urban changed the lyrics during his live performances. Soon after, he removed the song from his setlist entirely.
What Was ‘The Fighter’ About?
"The Fighter" tells the story of a man promising to love and support a woman who has faced heartbreak. He reassures her after a past love hurt her deeply. Urban sings in the first verse: "I know he hurt you / Made you scared of love, too scared to love / He didn’t deserve you / ‘Cause your precious heart is a precious heart." He continues, "He didn’t know what he had and I thank God / And it’s gonna take just a little time / But you’re gonna see that I was born to love you." The duet features Underwood as the woman. She shares her fears, and Urban offers comfort and strength.
Was Nicole Kidman the Muse?
Urban definitely wrote the song about his connection with Kidman. The actress even showed up in "The Fighter" music video with Urban. The couple filmed it themselves, using Urban’s own camera. They sat together in a car. Urban sang to his then-wife, and Kidman charmingly lip-synced Underwood’s parts.
Urban’s Own Words on the Song
When "The Fighter" first came out, Urban admitted it was deeply personal. "It comes from a very real place. It’s about helping heal and protecting someone you love," he said in a press statement back then. He added, "It gives you certainty that you will always be there to take the punches the world might throw." A month later, Urban confirmed his relationship with Kidman was the direct inspiration. "It came from a conversation my wife and I had early in our relationship," Urban told Billboard in March 2017. He added that "when things get tough, I need to hold her tighter and try to take care of her." He explained, "The song is about wanting to heal someone, wanting to take care of someone, wanting to protect someone. It’s almost like a vow in many ways."
The Unforeseen Lyric Changes
Even before Kidman filed for divorce, the country singer made a notable change to the song. This happened while he performed it on his High and Alive World Tour. A video from an April 2025 concert shows Urban changed the words. He included a shout-out to his guitarist, Maggie Baugh. "I was born to love you," he reportedly said, pointing to Baugh across the stage. This was in a recording TMZ got the next month. He added, "Maggie, I’ll be your fighter."
Who Is Maggie Baugh and What Happened?
Baugh is a guitarist. She joined Urban on his High and Alive World Tour. After news broke of Urban and Kidman’s divorce, Baugh got a lot of attention. This was due to Urban’s on-stage shout-out to her. Besides mentioning her from the stage, Urban made another lyric change during a different performance of "The Fighter." He swapped the original line "when they’re tryna get to you, baby, I’ll be the fighter" for "when they’re tryna get to you, Maggie, I’ll be your guitar player" during a show.
Baugh then reposted the video clip on Instagram. She captioned it, "Did he just say that👀?" Fans quickly began to wonder if Baugh was part of Urban and Kidman’s split. Her father, however, spoke out about the rumors. He said they were not true. Urban and Baugh have not commented on the lyric changes. A prominent news channel previously asked both Urban and Baugh for their thoughts. After all the buzz about the song changes, Baugh was not present at Urban’s first show. This was after the divorce from Kidman was announced.
The Song’s Final Exit
Urban has not played "The Fighter" at his concerts since his split from Kidman. It seems the song, once a shining symbol of his love, now holds too many memories for his live performances.