Why is Keith Urban comparing Miley Cyrus to an ashtray? And why does he insist it’s a compliment?!
Miley Cyrus is talented, accomplished and intensely famous. She is in high demandshe is a target of vitriol from disgraced former presidentsand she worked hard to get where she is.
Keith Urban is best known as Nicole Kidman’s husband, but he’s also a country music star. When he has musical opinions, people listen.
Comparing Miley Cyrus to an ashtray is a choice. But it’s not necessarily an insult. Is it really a compliment?
What did Keith Urban say about Miley Cyrus?
During a recent episode of Nova 96.9 Fitzy and Wippa with Kate Ritchie in Sydney, Keith Urban spoke about the beloved singer.
He raved that he “always loved Miley,” which is the right way to feel about Miley Cyrus. Despite some mistakes and missteps in her life, she has been a vocal force for good.
“I love that voice, man, that voice,” Keith Urban then said of Miley Cyrus. “She sounds like an ashtray.”
ONE what now?
“And I mean that as a compliment,” Keith Urban quickly clarified about his “ashtray” comment about Miley Cyrus.
“She looks like the RSL carpet!” he then added. RSL refers to the Returned and Services League, a meeting place for veterans and active duty military personnel. Presumably, he is implying that such places are havens for cigarette smokers.
How can “ashtray” be considered a compliment of any kind?
Ashtrays are unsightly fixtures from a thankfully bygone era. There was a time when they sat on restaurant tables, in doctors’ waiting rooms, and in office buildings — each a place filled with a foul odor and a haze of smoke.
But when Keith Urban said Miley Cyrus had a voice like an ashtray, it’s clear he didn’t mean it as an insult.
Instead, it seems he was complimenting her on her distinctive, husky voice. While there are many ways to have a husky voice, cigarettes systematically damage many parts of the human body and sometimes result in deep, husky voices. Hence the expression of a person having a “voice like an ashtray.”
Keith Urban has shown his affection for Miley’s music.
He has covered “Flowers” several times in his own shows.
Covering a song is, with the rarest of exceptions, always a sign of flattery. Keith Urban clearly loves Miley Cyrus’ music… and her “ashtray” voice.
He also gives many compliments to other singers.
In April 2024, Keith Urban sang Taylor Swift’s praises The Department of Tortured Poets composing while talking to People.
He also got emotional over Ariana Grande’s “We Can’t Be Friends,” comparing it to the “audible heroin” he just couldn’t put down.
This is where we see that Keith Urban is clearly a decent guy with great taste in music. We also see that he often comes up with colorful and seemingly unflattering analogies when he’s heaping praise on other singers.