From the heart
Music helps For King & Country thrive through good, hard times
Six years ago, Joel Smallbone and his brother, Luke, released their first album as the Christian pop-rock outfit For King & Country.
And what a six-years it has been.
The Smallbones have experienced numerous peaks and valleys. They’ve faced illnesses, started families, overcome family crises.
Through it all, the brothers had music.
“This is the heart behind everything we do,” Smallbone says in a recent interview. “Music has had a way to bring us together. We’ve grown up in music. My dad was a concert promoter, and some of my first memories are rock shows. My sister is a gospel singer, and all of the boys were the road crew for her. I’m one of seven kids, and we’ve all had our jobs and tasks in music.”
With For King & Country, the Australian native wants to make a difference through music.
“Music is an incredible platform where you can speak honestly about issues and where you find yourself,” he says. “I just became a U.S. citizen last year, and it was a very thrilling experience. I’ve started to reflect on what this year has been to me.”
Within that reflection has come a ton of writing for the band’s coming album.
It has been almost four years since 2014’s “Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong.” was released.
Smallbone is back on the road with the band after taking three months off and traveling back to Australia with his wife.
He wanted to step away from touring and the every day band stuff.
“It was a sweet time unplugging with my wife on vacation,” he says. “I’ve come back on all levels. There’s a fire inside me, and I’m hoping to offer a record of encouragement. I want the album to be revolutionary and show where we’ve come as a band and the heart behind it.”
For King & Country is working on its third album, and Smallbone expects it to be out by the end of the year.
Once the album is done, Smallbone wants to return to the big screen with another film.
The brothers worked on the movie “Priceless,” filmed in Albuquerque a few years ago.
“We have a plan for a lot of things,” he says. “We need to get through touring and then the album, and we’ll focus on the other things.”