for KING + COUNTRY et Ohio State Fair

Born in Sydney, Australia, but raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Joel and Luke’s father was a music promoter and strongly influenced the brothers’ musical participation. During high school the pair would contribute backing vocals to recordings of their sister Rebecca St. James, however by 2007 began performing on their own. Originally playing under the moniker Joel & Luke, this changed in 2008 with the release of their debut EP “A Tale of Two Towns”. Featuring many songs which would feature on later albums, the success of the EP led the band to sign with Warner Music Group. Whilst working with producer Ben Glover in the studio, he suggested the moniker For King and Country, which the brothers were taken by and decided to adopt.

Following a few years of honing their skills, For King and Country released the EP “For King & Country: The EP” in 2011. The record was led by the single “Busted Heart (Hold On To Me)” which charted at No. 3 on the Billboard’s Christian Songs Chart. The EP grew the anticipation for their feature full-length, which later arrived in February 2012. Entitled “Crave”, For King and Country’s debut full-length was extolled by music critics and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Christian Albums Chart. In support of the release the band toured on the 2012 Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, performed on the Mike Huckabee show on Fox News, and toured alongside Jason Castro and Dara Maclean.

Towards the tail-end of 2012 For King and Country released the Christmas song “Baby Boy”, which charted at No. 20 on the Billboard Top 100. The live album “Hope Is What We Crave: Live” followed in August 2013, led by the single of the same name. Following the release of the EP “Into the Silent Night: The EP” the band were awarded the GMA Dove Award for New Artist of the Year in 2013. In 2014 For King and Country issued their sophomore album “Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong”. Like its predecessor the record earned a host of rave reviews, however far outperformed the band’s debut in the charts. Peaking at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Billboard Christian Albums Chart, the record's success was aided by returning producer Ben Glover. The album spawned the singles “Fix My Eyes” and “Shoulders” and later won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album. The band also won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for their contribution to the Lacrae track “Messengers” taken from his album “Anomaly”.