Joel Smallbone

About

Joel David Smallbone (born 5 June 1984) is an Australian singer and actor. He is a member of the Christian pop duo For King & Country along with his brother Luke. Smallbone played James Stevens in the 2016 film Priceless and Antipater in the 2023 film Journey to Bethlehem. He directed the 2024 Christian drama film Unsung Hero and played the role of his father David Smallbone.

Smallbone was born in Sydney, but moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1991. He is the brother of Luke Smallbone and younger brother of Christian recording artist and speaker Rebecca St. James. Smallbone is also the brother-in-law of Jacob Fink, former bassist for the band Foster the People.
Smallbone’s father was a music promoter, and Joel recalls, “going to these rock concerts, sitting on my father’s shoulders, plugging my ears…Honestly, in a lot of ways I feel like music chose me and as I grew older, I made a clear decision to fully lean into it.”

Smallbone provided backing vocals for his sister Rebecca in addition to light operation and stage management. He collaborated with his brother Luke and in 2008 they released their first EP, A Tale of Two Towns, initially performing under…