Luke Smallbone | Biography

• By Reena Chikanbanjar
• Original : December 11, 2021

Luke Smallbone is an Australian singer best known for being one half of the Christian pop duo For King & Country, with his brother Joel Smallbone.

Who is Luke Smallbone?

Born to Helen and music promoter David on 22 October 1986 in Sydney, Australia, Luke Smallbone moved to Nashville, Tennessee, with his family in 1991. His older sister, Rebecca St. James, was an Australian Christian pop-rock singer. And during high school, he provided background vocals for her songs. 

After graduating from high school, Luke collaborated with his older brother Joel Smallbone to form a band. The duo initially began performing under the band name Austoville in 2007. They later changed the name of their band to Joel & Luke and released an EP titled A Tale of Two Towns in 2008. The EP featured six songs, including 'Love's to Blame,' which they co-wrote with Rebecca.

The following year, Joel & Luke signed with Warner Music Group. While in the studio recording of their debut record, the duo again changed their band name to For King & Country.

Then, on 20 September 2011, the duo released the song 'Busted Heart (Hold On to Me)' for their For King & Country: The EP. The song peaked at No. 3 on Billboard's Christian Songs chart. On 28 February 2012, they released their debut album Crave. The album reached No. 2 on the iTunes Top Christian & Gospel albums on the release day. It also peaked at No. 4 on Billboard's Christian Albums chart.

On 16 September 2014, the band released their second album Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong. The album won the 'Grammy Award' for 'Best Contemporary Christian Music Album' at 57th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014. Following that, on 23 October 2015, For King & Country released a deluxe anniversary edition of Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong. It included the song 'Priceless,' which was nominated for 'Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song' at 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2016.

They released their third album, Burn the Ships, on 5 October 2018. The album featured lead single 'Joy,' which garnered a 'Grammy Award' nomination for 'Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song' in 2018. The album later won the 'Grammy Award' for 'Best Contemporary Christian Music' in 2019.

In addition to his music career, Luke served as an executive producer of the 2016 romantic crime drama film Priceless, starring Joel. The film was inspired by his band's hit song of the same name. Following that, as of 2021, Luke has a couple of upcoming projects. The Hollywood Reporter article dated 3 June 2021 reported that Joel and Luke Smallbone would appear in the feature documentary Return to Sydney: The For King & Country Journey, alongside Joel and Rebecca, and the family dramedy Unsung Hero, alongside his mother Helen and the Smallbone family.

Smallbone Siblings

Aside from his older sister Rebecca and brother Joel, Luke has four other siblings - sister Libby and three brothers, Ben, Daniel, and Josh. 

Rebecca St. James was born Rebecca Jean Smallbone on 26 July 1997. She began her music career, releasing the Refresh My Heart album in 1991. Her professional music career kicked off after signing with ForeFront Records in 1993. She found success under Rebecca St. James after releasing an eponymous debut album the following year. Some of her other notable albums include Pray, God, and Transform. She took a break from her music career in 2011 to marry and start a family.

After nearly a decade of hiatus from her music career, Rebecca released an EP titled Dawn on 24 July 2020. She has won multiple awards, including Grammy and Dove Awards. In addition to singing and songwriting, Rebecca is a best-selling author, actress, and speaker. 

Libby is an actress and makeup artist. She also works on sponsorship. Then, Ben is a director who directs For King & Country's music videos. Ben also directed the 2016 feature film Priceless and a few short films such as Taken (2006), The 2nd Mile (2015), and It's Not Over Yet: Live in Nashville (2016). Additionally, Ben worked as a writer, cinematographer, and producer for several music videos and short films.

Daniel runs a light show, and Josh serves as a general manager for their brother's band For King & Country. While Luke is also a brother-in-law of Jacob Fink (a.k.a. Cubbie Fink) and Moriah Smallbone.

Wife and Children

Luke married Courtney Helm on 26 June 2010. The couple has four children - three sons and one daughter. They welcomed their first son, Jude James, in December 2012, and their second son, Phoenix Alexander, in December 2014. 

The couple nearly lost their third son, Leo. Luke's wife found Leo in his crib, blue and breathless. She instantly began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and prayed over their son. Fortunately, Leo soon came back to life. The incident inspired Luke to write the song 'Need You More.' Leo was born in July 2017. Luke and his wife welcomed their fourth child, daughter Evie Joy, in January 2021.