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Brothers Luke and Joel Smallbone have become one of the world’s most loved Christian pop acts. As For King & Country, they have won four Grammys, 15 GMA Dove Awards and billions of song streams. With the release of their new album, Aaron Duff from Australian Christian Records catches up with Luke to learn what’s next.

In administering each month’s OZ 5 Top Tunes, there has been one particular act that often appears on top — and in fact still holds the number one position right now in September 2026.

I’m of course talking about For King & Country.

The OZ 5 national chart tracks releases exclusively from Australian artists, and at times I have wondered whether, for all their years living in America, the boys still qualify as an Australian act anymore.

https://youtu.be/LQssY0d4sYU

For King & Country: From Humble Beginnings

Born in Wahroonga, NSW, their first breakthrough gig came about in Easterfest 2009, performing under the simple name of Joel and Luke. It’s been amazing to witness the duo in the time since then rise to become one of Australia’s leading Christian music exports over the past decade and a half.

If you have watched the 2024 movie Unsung Hero, you should already be familiar with the humble beginnings of the Smallbone family. With Joel playing his own father in the lead role, the story follows the family’s move to the US portraying how the family remained faithful to God in troubled times and picked themselves up, before breaking into the US Christian music scene with eldest sister Rebecca St. James.

It’s clear today that America has adopted the brothers as their own — and the feeling is seemingly mutual for the dual citizens. Indeed, Joel’s follow-up film role to Unsung Hero demonstrates a deep love and patriotism for the United States telling a story of two brothers — one of them a Little Drummer Boy — on opposing sides during the American Revolution.

For King & Country’s New Album: The Most Beautiful Colours

Talking with Luke on today’s release of their new album, The Most Beautiful Colours, I have however been reassured of their Australian-ness. Not only because of Luke’s appreciation of my Australian accent, “it feels like a piece of home”, but check that album title again:

‘The Most Beautiful C.O.L.O.U.R.S.’

This is Australian spelling of colours! Not the American way that drops the ‘u’.

Etymological ramblings aside, the album is a solid reminder of why the brothers are so good at what they do. Luke explains, “This is the most positive and optimistic album we’ve ever recorded, and because of that there is a settledness.”

The Most Beautiful Colours is the brothers’ fifth studio album.

Having listened to the album the whole way through before the interview, I think Luke has really put his finger on his description of ‘settledness’. While the record has some standout anthems like “Miracle”, “What If I Told You”, and “Alle”, as well as CMAA Song of the Year in “World on Fire”, my overall feeling by the end of the record was one of assured peace.

One song that really delivers on that feeling is “Ever & Ever Before”, and it is actually the one song I kept coming back to humming in my head for days.

The song uniquely features the wives of both Joel and Luke on vocals. I’m sure any number of well-known female singers would have said yes to singing and appearing in the music video for “Ever & Ever Before”, but it means something much more when the art is pointedly performed together as family.

Explaining his time in the studio recording the album Luke shares,

“We were treating music in some cases like our 9 to 5. (But at the same time) we were pouring into our marriages and pouring into our families.”

The focus on the family continues with the song “A Good Man”, which Luke wrote about his father David.

“My Dad’s not a perfect Dad. I’m a father of four and it’s impossible to be a perfect father. But what I do realise is that you can be an imperfect father and a good man. And my Dad’s a good man. I think what we lack in this society is good men. So for me and Joel we wanted to take a moment and celebrate our father in his imperfections, that he is actually a really good man.”

I’m starting to appreciate that while we appreciate listening to their music and watching their films, behind this all is a family enterprise. Brother Ben is the well-respected film director behind the upcoming Little Drummer Boy, and another brother Josh is the General Manager of the For King & Country project safeguarding and administering all those real-life, corporate obligations.

It’s a testimony of the faithfulness of the Smallbone family to God, themselves, and their commitment to using music and media to spread the Christian message. It’s a model worth reflecting on within our own families.

Hearkening back to my original question on whether For King & Country should be classed as Australian or American — I don’t think it matters so much anymore. Ultimately, we are citizens of heaven and not of this world. What’s important is our faithfulness to God and the family he has given us.

Follow: For King + Country

Website: forkingandcountry.com

Instagram: @forkingandcountry

Spotify: @forkingandcountry

Release Dates:

The Most Beautiful Colours: Sept 18

Little Drummer Boy: Nov 5

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Images courtesy of Curb Records.