For King and Country Concerts Tickets

ABOUT FOR KING AND COUNTRY

Christian pop duo For King and Country consists of Australian brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone and was formed in 2007. Joel and Luke are the younger brothers of Christian music artist Rebecca St. James.

CAREER

2007-2009: Early music career

In their youth, the brothers performed with their sister and other family members, performing backing vocals, and they played in various bands across the US. In 2007, after Luke graduated from high school, they began their own band, Joel & Luke. The following year, they released a six-track EP under the name, titled A Tale of Two Towns. The brothers went on to perform under the name Austoville.

2009-2014: For King and Country and Crave

The duo signed to Warner Music Group in 2009 with Ben Glover as their producer. Upon signing to the label, they changed their name to For King and Country.

In 2011, they released an eponymous EP as their debut on the label. "Busted Heart (Hold On to Me)" was released as their debut single, peaking at number three on the Billboard Christian Songs chart. The track was the fastest-rising single of 2011 in its genre, climbing the Top 10 for weeks.

Crave, their debut album, was released on February 28, 2012. The album peaked at number four on the Billboard Christian Albums chart and number 15 on the Heatseekers Albums chart. It also debuted at number two on the iTunes Top Christian and Gospel Albums chart and number 42 on the overall iTunes Albums chart. "The Proof of Your Love," the album’s lead single, reached number eight on Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart and spent 29 weeks on the chart.

In January 2012, they toured on the 2012 Winter Jam Tour Spectacular. Throughout 2012, their songs were featured on VH1's Rehab with Dr. Drew,  The CW's Vampire Diaries, and on the Lifetime show Drop Dead Diva. From September through November 2012, they embarked on The Proof of Your Love Tour with Jason Castro and Dara Maclean. That October, the duo released an original Christmas song, "Baby Boy", which reached number 20 on the Hot Christian Songs chart.

For King and Country had been due to tour throughout the summer of 2013, but were forced to take time off due to Luke suffering a period of ill health. That August, they released the live album and DVD Hope Is What We Crave: Live, which were recorded at The Factory in Nashville on the last night of the band's first headlining tour. They also released "Hope Is What We Crave" – a reworked version of their track "Crave" - as a single. In February 2014, the duo toured as support for Casting Crowns.

2015-2017: Rise in popularity

On September 16, 2014, the band released its second studio album, Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong.. It reached number 13 on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Christian Albums chart, and launched five singles: "Fix My Eyes", "Shoulders", "It's Not Over Yet", "Priceless", and "O God Forgive Us." The following January, they once again joined the Winter Jam Tour and in March 2015, they appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! performing the songs "Run Wild" and "Fix My Eyes." That October, the duo released a deluxe anniversary edition of the album, featuring three new songs: "Priceless", "Ceasefire" and "Wholehearted", as well as a reworked version of "It's Not Over Yet", called "The Encore".

Throughout 2016, the brothers worked on music for the feature film Priceless, which stars Joel, writing several songs that feature on the film’s soundtrack. They also released the song "Ceasefire," which was featured on the soundtrack of the 2016 remake of Ben-Hur.

That October,  they released Christmas: Live from Phoenix and embarked on A Glorious Christmas Tour with Casting Crowns.

2018-present: Continued succession

"Joy", the lead single from For King and Country’s third studio album, was released on May 18, 2018, reaching number two on the Hot Christian Songs chart. The album, Burn the Ships, was released that October. It debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200 and topped the Christian Albums chart.

In January 2019, "Joy" was nominated for the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song. That month, they released the album’s second single, "God Only Knows," which became their first single to chart on the Billboard 200 and peaked at number 17 on the Adult Contemporary chart, as well as reaching number two on the Christian Songs chart and topping the Christian Airplay chart. The duo went on to release several new versions of the song, collaborating with Dolly Parton, Timbaland, and Echosmith.

At the 2020 Grammy Awards, the Dolly Parton version of "God Only Knows" won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song, and Burn the Ships won for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album.

During 2020, the duo performed several drive-in style outdoor concerts, having canceled their tour due to the Coronavirus pandemic. In October 2020, the band released A Drummer Boy Christmas – a full-length Christmas album featuring collaborations with Needtobreathe and Gabby Barrett.

The following year, they released a deluxe version of Burn the Ships featuring remixes and collaborations with Parton, Timbaland, Echosmith, Tori Kelly, Lecrae, and Kirk Franklin. They also released the single "Relate", which became their seventh consecutive number-one on the Christian Songs chart.

In March 2022, For King and Country released their fifth studio album, What Are We Waiting For?. It debuted at number one on the Top Christian Albums chart and at number seven on the Billboard 200.