Joel and Luke Smallbone, the musicians behind Christian pop duo “for King + Country,” are peeling back the curtain on their harrowing rise to fame once again — but this time, the brothers are sharing a grittier, more vulnerable glimpse into their journey.
The brothers describe their recently released documentary, “for King + Country: No Turning Back,” as a sequel to their 2024 biopic, “Unsung Hero.” The documentary provides a closer look at the struggles Joel and Luke overcame as their musical careers took off.
“The origins of the documentary started around the same time (as 'Unsung Hero’). In some ways, the documentary indicated a lot of the film,“ Joel shared.
He added, “(The documentary) was kind of an opportunity to peek behind the curtain at the struggle and the visceral bits, the illness and the ego and the issues we faced as a family and then the grace of God literally weaving the narrative together.”
“No Turning Back” highlights a decade of failed starts, industry rejections, family illness and other challenges that the four-time Grammy winners now believe shaped their music, faith and characters in positive ways.
While digging through old memories to piece together the documentary, Joel and Luke uncovered several “God moments” where they believe there was divine intervention carving out the path for their worldwide music ministry.
One of these “God moments” that the brothers shared with the Deseret News happened on the football field in high school. During the first game of his junior year, Luke tore his ACL, crushing his sports aspirations. But in hindsight, the Smallbone brothers agree the painful blow served as a divine shift in their path.
The ACL injury “reset the narrative, and it created a lot of empathy in me,” Joel said. “That was just a hard moment that I saw turn for good, and it really set a course for both of our lives ... for our future.”
Several trials followed for the Smallbone brothers, including Luke’s battle with cancer. Through each trial, the brothers remained grounded in their faith and family relationships. They hope “No Turning Back” will demonstrate how these experiences have shaped their music.
“I’m not a good enough songwriter to write songs about things I don’t care about, which is a blessing and a curse. I need the songs to feel like we’ve lived them,” Luke said.
“I want to write songs that could impact somebody’s eternal destination. I often say you write songs about the highest highs and the lowest lows because no one really remembers the middle. My hope is that (the songs) have purpose and meaning.”
Hardships also brought Luke and Joel closer together, and re-emphasized the importance of nourishing family relationships.
Joel believes “No Turning Back” will remind audiences of the value of family relationships and fighting to preserve family ties.
“I’m really proud to still be in it with family, as the documentary showcases,” Joel said. “I feel privileged to be in this meshed, codependent mess of this family. I really feel God’s goodness. It’s messy and it’s hard and it’s beautiful.”
“It’s been a real gift to collaborate, and you have to look at the fruit. My hope is that the fruit points people heavenward and toward each other.”