Keith Urban admits he was 'willing to do anything' to launch career

Keith Urban has admitted he was "willing to do anything" to launch his music career.

The country singer explained how he ended up posing for Playgirl magazine as a young man in 2001, wearing nothing but a guitar.

Interviewed by Rob Lowe for his Literally! With Rob Lowe podcast, Keith, 56, explained the idea was pitched to him as a marketing opportunity to promote his first album - and the nudity aspect was only discussed as a side note.

"It was a guy at my record company who was like, 'Hey, you know, we can do this article in Playgirl, and they'll do a big, long, nice piece on the record,' and I was like, 'Great!'" Keith said.

But, he added, the executive continued by saying, "'and then we'll go to a photo shoot too'."

Keith joked that while he hadn't loved the idea, it was fortunate he could bring a decent-sized instrument to cover himself.

"I was like, 'Oh, OK.' Luckily, I play guitar and not harmonica," he quipped.

"That was fortuitous," Rob, 60, replied. "So, you at least knew by the time you got to the photo shoot what you were ..."

"Oh my God, yeah," Keith confirmed. "Apparently willing to do anything to get going!"