As part of a conscious shift to capitalize on For King & Country’s wide appeal, the releases are now being promoted to both contemporary Christian and mainstream pop audiences. There is also an increased focus on collaboration. The three latest albums have an eclectic array of guests. The duo has also done remixes with other artists.
The continued success is made even more impressive considering the circumstances. The latest album was created on short notice and in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic while one of the brothers also faced unexpected health issues.
Joel Smallbone recently answered questions about the album and his brother’s vocal cord surgery.
Credit: Jeremy Cowart
Credit: Jeremy Cowart
Q: How is Luke doing since his surgery?
A: He’s good. We’ve been out working and he’s doing great but it was scary for a while. Luke’s vocal cords had been troubling him for some time. (When) we were doing an interview for our Christmas album, I was sitting right next to him and could hear this strange two-tone thing in his voice when he was speaking. I said, ‘Luke, I hate to say it but you’ve really got to take this seriously.’ (It) really provoked a bit of a deep dive into months and months of appointments. It ultimately led to surgery and him not being able to speak for five days. There were all the questions that come along with that type of surgery. Will he ever have his voice back? Will it ever be the same? It was certainly a precarious time.
Q: When did you start work on this album?
A: We decided we had lived enough life and the world had lived enough life so it was time to put pen to paper for this project. From January 1, 2021, getting this project off the ground was our real intense focus. What was really special for us is we’ve written and recorded every other record in the back lounge of a tour bus or a dressing room. They were done on-the-go but between still being limited by the pandemic and Luke’s vocal cord issues, we really were relegated to stay home for a good portion of last year, particularly the first half.
Q: How did that impact the album?
A: We were able to live and breathe and bleed for this project, day in and day out, in a real concentrated amount of time. (It) was really special for us to be able to create in that way. It was kind of a discovery of sorts.
Credit: Jeremy Cowart
Credit: Jeremy Cowart
Q: Based on the success of the album, I’d say the approach worked. How does it feel?
A: We were very thrilled but it’s not over. In the film world, you basically have 72 hours to see if it’s a success or a failure. What I love about releasing music is you have a pivotal first week but then you can go on a journey with your listener for two or three years. You can show different sides of the album. You release different singles and different collaborations and different music videos. One thing we’re really excited about, which we love about this project, is it’s not just a one-and-done. You don’t just put the thing out into the world and then move onto the next thing.
Q: The new album has featured guests like Dolly Parton, Kirk Franklin and Dante Brown. What’s appealing about these collaborations?
A: It’s fun and it’s a whole other level of collaboration beyond Luke and myself. You know, ‘Who can we invite into these songs?’ We discovered the art of features on the last album with Timbaland, Dolly, Sydney from Echosmith and so on. We’ve really taken that into this new project.
Q: What can you tell me about the latest single?
A: It’s a real spiritual song celebrating God’s love of humanity, just as we are, and his acceptance as we see it. Also, the incredible love from human to human, that no matter your faults, your flaws or your issues, someone can love you unconditionally, just as you are. We’re looking at that, hopefully, being a cross-genre single. We released it to pop radio as well as Christian radio. We’ve never done that before either so that’s going to be a fun little experiment to release to these different formats at the same time.
Q: What’s next for the group?
A: We’ve literally got four or five new features lined up. I can’t share them with you yet but we’re awfully excited because it shows the whole record in a new way. Between touring, new singles and features, we’re really proud of the album and very proud of the response. We also have this excited, bubbling up sense this is just the beginning.
Contact this contributing writer at 937-287-6139 or e-mail at donthrasher100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
Who: For King & Country with special guest Rebecca St. James
When: Fraze Pavilion, 695 Lincoln Park Blvd., Kettering
Where: 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 26
Cost: $25 Tix pack, $35 lawn & terrace, $50 side orchestra, $55 center orchestra and $60 plaza in advance, $30 Tix pack, $40 lawn & terrace, $55 side orchestra, $60 center orchestra and $65 plaza day of show
More info: 937-296-3300 or www.fraze.com
Artist info: www.forkingandcountry.com
About the Author
