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For King & Country (band) facts for kids
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For King & Country
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For King & Country performing in 2018
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres |
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| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | Fervent/Curb |
| Members | Joel Smallbone Luke Smallbone |
For King & Country is a popular music duo made up of two brothers, Joel and Luke Smallbone. They sing Christian pop music. Joel was born on June 5, 1984, and Luke on October 22, 1986. The brothers were born in Australia. They moved to the United States when they were kids and grew up near Nashville, Tennessee.
Before they were called For King & Country, they used names like Joel & Luke and Austoville. In 2012, they released their first album, Crave. Billboard magazine even called them one of the "New Artists to Watch" that year. Their second album, Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong., came out in 2014 and won a Grammy award!
In 2018, they released Burn the Ships. This album became very successful, with songs like "God Only Knows" and "Joy". They also released a Christmas album in 2020 called A Drummer Boy Christmas. Their fifth album, What Are We Waiting For?, came out in 2022.
For King & Country's music is loved by many. By 2024, their songs had been streamed over 2 billion times! They have performed at big events like the Houston Rodeo. They have also worked with famous artists such as Dolly Parton, Tori Kelly, and Lecrae.
Besides music, the brothers have been involved in movies. These include Priceless and Unsung Hero. They also produced a film called Drummer Boy, which is planned for release in 2026.
Contents
The Story of For King & Country
Starting Their Musical Journey (2007–2008)
Before forming their own band, Joel and Luke sang background vocals for their sister, Rebecca St. James. They also helped other family members and bands at concerts. After Luke finished high school, the brothers decided to start their own group in 2007. They first performed as "Joel & Luke," then changed to "Austoville," and finally became "For King & Country."
In 2008, as "Joel & Luke," they released a short album called A Tale of Two Towns. Some songs from this album, like "Missing" and "Sane," later appeared on their first full album, Crave.
Becoming "For King & Country" and Releasing "Crave" (2009–2013)
In 2009, the brothers signed a music deal. They chose the name "For King & Country" because it was an old British battle cry. Luke explained that they wanted a name with a deeper meaning. He said it became their mission to "lay down our lives for our King and our country."
In 2011, they released For King & Country: The EP. Their song "Busted Heart (Hold On to Me)" became very popular. It reached No. 3 on Billboard magazine's Christian Songs chart. They described the song as a "universal cry of humanity for something greater than ourselves."
Their first full album, Crave, came out on February 28, 2012. It quickly became a top Christian album. The album also reached No. 128 on the main Billboard 200 chart. Critics gave Crave many good reviews. Another popular song from the album was "The Proof of Your Love". The band performed on the 2012 Winter Jam Tour Spectacular. They also appeared on the Huckabee show on Fox News Channel.
Their songs were also used in TV shows like Vampire Diaries and Drop Dead Diva. In 2012, they went on "The Proof of Your Love Tour" across 30 cities. They released a Christmas song called "Baby Boy" in October 2012.
In 2013, Luke faced a serious health challenge. He became very ill, which caused him to miss many shows. He recovered in 2015. In June 2013, Joel acted in a movie called The Book of Esther.
In August 2013, they released a live album and DVD called Hope Is What We Crave: Live. They also released a new version of their song "Crave" as a single.
Growing in Popularity (2014–2017)
For King & Country released their album Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong. on September 16, 2014. This album was very successful, reaching No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart. They performed songs like "Run Wild" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2015. The band also joined the Winter Jam Tour in 2015 and 2016.
In October 2015, they released a special edition of the album. It included new songs like "Priceless" and "Ceasefire."
In 2016, their record label changed to Curb Records.
After their second album, the brothers worked on a movie called Priceless. Joel starred in the film, which tells a story about helping people who are forced into difficult situations. They wrote several songs for the movie. They also wrote "Ceasefire" for the 2016 movie Ben-Hur.
In October 2017, they released a live Christmas album, Christmas: Live from Phoenix. They then went on a Christmas tour with Casting Crowns.
Continued Success (2018–2020)
The band started writing their third album in January 2017. The first song from the album, "Joy", came out on May 18, 2018. It became a big hit on Christian music charts. Their album Burn the Ships was released on October 5, 2018. The brothers said it was their "most mature record." The album had ten songs and five music videos. "Joy" was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2019.
In 2019, "God Only Knows" became another popular song from the album. It even reached the main Billboard Hot 100 chart. The band worked with Dolly Parton on a new version of "God Only Knows." They also collaborated with Timbaland and Echosmith.
The Burn the Ships album won a Grammy in 2019. The song "God Only Knows" also won a Grammy.
In 2020, when many tours were canceled, the band performed special outdoor concerts. People watched and listened from their cars. The band announced that their songs had been streamed over one billion times!
In October 2020, they released A Drummer Boy Christmas, a full Christmas album. It featured collaborations with Needtobreathe and Gabby Barrett.
"What Are We Waiting For?" and "Unsung Hero" (2022–Present)
In 2021, Burn the Ships received a gold certification. The band also released a special edition of the album with remixes and collaborations. Also in 2021, they released "Relate", a new song from their upcoming album. "Relate" became their seventh straight number one hit on the Christian Airplay chart. On September 24, 2021, they released another song, "For God Is with Us", which also reached number one. The band then went on "Relate | The Fall Tour."
In January 2022, the band released "Unsung Hero", a song about their mother. Pre-orders for their new album began at the same time. On February 18, 2022, they released "Love Me Like I Am" as another song from the album.
In March 2022, they made history as the first Christian music act to perform at RodeoHouston.
The band's fifth album, What Are We Waiting For?, was released on March 11, 2022. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Christian albums chart and No. 7 on the main Billboard 200. A music video for the song "Broken Halos" was also released.
In October 2022, the band re-released "Love Me Like I Am" with singer Jordin Sparks. This new version became very popular.
In June 2023, the band released the song "What Are We Waiting For?". They later released a deluxe version of the album with four extra songs. These included collaborations with Hillary Scott and Jordin Sparks.
In February 2024, the band performed at RodeoHouston again. They had a huge audience of 54,968 people, their largest ever!
In April 2024, they released their second movie, Unsung Hero. The film earned $21.1 million at the box office and won a Dove Award.
After the movie came out, the band took a year off from touring. In October 2025, they released a new song called "World on Fire". A documentary about the band, No Turning Back, was released on Amazon Prime Video in November 2025.
Their Music Style and Inspirations
The band believes music has a strong power to change how we feel. They shared in a 2012 interview that when music is combined with hope and passion, it can truly make a difference in people's lives. They write songs hoping to encourage and inspire others.
For King & Country gets inspiration from many artists. Some of their favorite bands include U2, OneRepublic, and the Beatles. They also find ideas from movie music, like the scores from Braveheart and Gladiator. Joel Smallbone also mentioned that the 80s band Stryper influenced them early on.
About Joel and Luke Smallbone
Joel David Smallbone was born on June 5, 1984. Luke James Smallbone was born on October 22, 1986. They were both born in Sydney, Australia. In 1991, their family moved to Nashville, Tennessee, because their father got a new job. Their dad was a music promoter. Joel remembers going to rock concerts with his dad. He felt like music was always a part of his life.
Joel and Luke are the younger brothers of Christian singer Rebecca St. James. They also have other siblings: Libby, Ben, Dan, and Josh.
On June 26, 2010, Luke married Courtney Helm. They have three children. From 2013 to 2015, Luke faced a serious health challenge. He became very ill, which caused him to miss many of the band's live shows. He got better in 2015. In 2018, Luke and Courtney's two-month-old son also had a serious health scare but made a full recovery.
On July 7, 2013, Joel married Moriah Peters, who is also a singer. They live in Franklin, Tennessee.
Both brothers are citizens of both Australia and the United States.
Band Members
- Joel Smallbone – vocals, piano, keytar, harmonium, drums, percussion, sampler
- Luke Smallbone – vocals, drums, percussion, sampler
Discography
- Crave (2012)
- Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong. (2014)
- Burn the Ships (2018)
- A Drummer Boy Christmas (2020)
- What Are We Waiting For? (2022)
Other Media Projects
Films
In 2014, Joel Smallbone appeared in the movie Like A Country Song. Joel also played the main role in the 2016 movie Priceless. This film tells a story about helping people who are forced into difficult situations. Luke was one of the producers, and their brother Ben directed it. For King & Country also wrote some music for the movie.
In 2022, the brothers announced a movie called Unsung Hero. This film is about their family's journey from Australia to the United States. It was released in theaters by Lionsgate in April 2024. Joel Smallbone played his father, David Smallbone, and Daisy Betts played their mother, Helen Smallbone. All the Smallbone siblings made a small appearance in the film. The movie was written, directed, produced, and starred Joel Smallbone. It earned $21 million at the box office. The band also released a soundtrack album with the film.
A concert film called A Drummer Boy Christmas was released in theaters from December 5–19, 2024. It was filmed at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The film earned $2.9 million and is one of the top concert movies ever.
In 2019, the brothers announced they were working on a musical film called The Drummer Boy. This film is planned for release in 2026. All the music for it was written by the band. Joel said the film is a Christmas family story. It is about two brothers during the American Revolutionary War who end up on different sides.
Books
A book called Priceless: She's Worth Fighting For was released on September 6, 2016. It is based on the film Priceless.
Awards and Nominations
In December 2012, iTunes chose Crave as their Breakthrough Christian & Gospel Album of the Year. In 2013, at the K-LOVE Fan Awards, they won "Breakthrough Artist of the Year." In 2015, they won two Grammy Awards. One was for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album, and the other for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.
Billboard Music Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | For King & Country | Top Christian Artist | Nominated |
| Burn the Ships | Top Christian Album | Nominated | |
| "Joy" | Top Christian Song | Nominated | |
| 2020 | For King & Country | Top Christian Artist | Nominated |
| "God Only Knows" | Top Christian Song | Won | |
| 2021 | For King & Country | Top Christian Artist | Nominated |
| "Together" (with Tori Kelly and Kirk Franklin) |
Top Christian Song | Nominated | |
| 2022 | For King & Country | Top Christian Artist | Nominated |
| 2023 | "Love Me Like I Am" (with Jordin Sparks) |
Top Christian Song | Nominated |
| For King & Country | Top Christian Artist | Nominated |
Grammy Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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| 2015 | Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong. | Best Contemporary Christian Music Album | Won |
| "Messengers" (Lecrae featuring for King & Country) |
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song | Won | |
| 2017 | "Priceless" | Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song | Nominated |
| 2019 | "Joy" | Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song | Nominated |
| 2020 | "God Only Knows" (For King & Country and Dolly Parton) |
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song | Won |
| Burn the Ships | Best Contemporary Christian Music Album | Won | |
| 2023 | "For God Is with Us" (For King & Country and Hillary Scott) |
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song | Nominated |
| 2024 | "Love Me Like I Am" (For King & Country and Jordin Sparks) |
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song | Nominated |
GMA Dove Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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| 2013 | "The Proof of Your Love" | Song of the Year | Nominated |
| Contemporary Christian Performance | Nominated | ||
| Crave | Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| "Caught Dreaming" (Andy Mineo featuring For King & Country) |
Rap/Hip-Hop Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| For King & Country | New Artist of the Year | Won | |
| "The Proof of Your Love" | Short Form Music Video of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2015 | For King & Country | Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year | Won |
| Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong. | Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year | Won | |
| 2016 | For King & Country | Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year | Won |
| 2019 | "Joy" | Song of the Year | Nominated |
| For King & Country (credited as Luke Smallbone and Joel Smallbone |
Songwriter of the Year (Artist) | Nominated | |
| For King & Country | Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
| "God Only Knows" | Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year | Won | |
| Burn the Ships | Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2020 | "Burn the Ships" | Song of the Year | Nominated |
| For King & Country | Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
| Artist of the Year | Won | ||
| "Burn the Ships" | Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| "Solo Dios Sabe (God Only Knows)" (featuring Miel San Marcos)) |
Spanish Language Recorded Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| "God Only Knows" | Short Form Video of the Year | Won | |
| 2021 | "Together" | Song of the Year | Nominated |
| For King & Country | Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
| Artist of the Year | Won | ||
| "Together" (with Tori Kelly and Kirk Franklin) |
Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| A Drummer Boy Christmas | Christmas / Special Event Album of the Year | Won | |
| Recorded Music Packaging of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Burn The Ships Concert Film | Long Form Video of the Year | Won | |
| 2022 | For King & Country | Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| "Relate" | Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| Short Form Music Video of the Year (Concept) | Won | ||
| What Are We Waiting For? | Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year | Won | |
| "For God Is with Us" | Short Form Music Video of the Year (Performance) | Nominated | |
| What Are We Waiting For? | The Worldwide Special | Long Form Video of the Year | Won | |
| 2023 | For King & Country | Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| "Love Me Like I Am" (featuring Jordin Sparks) |
Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| Do You Hear What I Hear? | Short Form Music Video of the Year (Concept) | Nominated |
We Love Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Category | Result | Ref. |
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| 2025 | "World on Fire" | Song of the Year | Pending | |
| Pop Song of the Year | Pending | |||
| Music Video of the Year | Pending | |||
| "Yes" (with Steven Malcomb and KB) |
Collaboration of the Year | Pending |
Tours and Performances
Headlining Tours
- The Proof of Your Love Tour (2012) (with Dara Maclean and Jason Castro)
- You Matter | The Tour (2014–2015)
- Priceless: The Tour (2015–2016) (with KB and Jordan Feliz)
- A For King & Country Christmas (2016) (with Lauren Daigle)
- Burn the Ships World Tour (2018–2020)
- Little Drummer Boy | The Christmas Tour (2018) (with Cory Asbury and Zach Williams)
- Together Again (2020)
- A Drummer Boy Christmas Tour (2020–2025)
- Relate: The Fall Tour (2021)
- What Are We Waiting For Tour (2022–2023) (with Dante Bowe)
- Unsung Hero Promotional Tour (2024)
- The Homecoming Tour (2024)
- FOR KING + COUNTRY LIVE: The Unsung Hero Tour (2024)
Co-headlining Tours
- Winter Jam 2016 (with Matthew West) (also featuring Crowder, Lauren Daigle, Red, KB, Tedashii, Trip Lee, Sidewalk Prophets, and NewSong)
- A Glorious Christmas (2017) (with Casting Crowns)
- The Roadshow 2018 (with Matthew West, Natalie Grant, Bethel Music, Zach Williams, and Social Club Misfits)
- joy.UNLEASHED (2018) (with Skillet) (also featuring LEDGER)
Supporting Tours
- Winter Jam Fall Tour 2011 (Newsboys, Kutless, Matthew West, Red, Fireflight, KJ-52, NewSong, Dara Maclean, and Patrick Ryan Clark)
- Winter Jam 2012 (Skillet, Sanctus Real, Peter Furler, Kari Jobe, NewSong, Building 429, and Group 1 Crew)
- RESTART Tour (2013) (Newsboys) (supporting with Rapture Ruckus, Moriah Peters, and CAMPBELL)
- K-Love Christmas Tour (2013) (Big Daddy Weave) (supporting with Meredith Andrews)
- The Thrive Tour (2014) (Casting Crowns)
- Winter Jam 2015 (Skillet, Jeremy Camp, Francesca Battistelli, Building 429, NewSong, and Family Force 5)
Other Live Performances
The band often performs at summer festivals across the United States and Canada. They are regular performers at Lifest in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Alive Festival in Mineral City, Ohio, and Unity Christian Music Festival in Muskegon, Michigan. For King & Country has also performed at other music festivals like the Florida Strawberry Festival, Kentucky State Fair, L.A. County Fair, and Summerfest.