There was a time a few years ago when Brantley Gilbert’s struggles with addiction threatened to break him, but thanks to a conversation with Keith Urban, Gilbert found light at the end of the tunnel. Brantley opened up about his encounter with Urban during an interview with The Tennessean, revealing that the two had met at a rehab treatment center in Nashville only a few days after pancreatitis put Gilbert in the hospital. At the time, Brantley told everyone around him that he was ready to leave the facility, even if it was against medical advice, but they asked him to wait one more day because there was someone they wanted him to meet.

The next day, Brantley met with Keith – a former addict himself – and the two talked about addiction. Urban asked Gilbert why he was afraid of being a musician who doesn’t drink alcohol, and Gilbert told him that he didn’t think he would be as good at his job. Keith told Brantley that he had once had the same fears, but said he was actually a better artist because of his sobriety. And that was the moment Gilbert said everything changed. Brantley said, “If it weren’t for him, I don’t know if I’d be sober or be in this business anymore. I’d probably be dead.”