(The Lion) — The Grammy Award-winning Christian duo For King & Country has new music, fresh energy and a gospel-centric message it hopes resonates with a world that often seems to be teetering on the brink of chaos.
The sibling duo of Joel and Luke Smallbone took 2025 off the road to pour their efforts into a documentary and an album – and this month released World on Fire, a rhythm-driven, high-energy single that urges believers to carry the light of Christ into every corner of life. It features Taylor Hill and debuted at No. 34 on the Oct. 11 Billboard Christian Airplay chart.
They performed the song at this month’s Dove Awards, where they received three nominations and won for Long Form Music Video of the Year (A Drummer Boy Christmas, live).
“My hope is that when people hear the song, they can start actually looking at their life, and they say, ‘Do I actually have this explosive, nuclear-like light that is inside of me?” Luke Smallbone told The Lion. “Because if you do – make sure you go to the high place, because if you’re on the high place, everyone can see it.”
He referenced an oft-debated quote commonly linked to 19th-century minister John Wesley: “[God] sets me on fire, and the people come to watch me burn.”
“When we were young kids, I think pretty much everyone sang the song This Little Light of Mine, I’m Going to Let it Shine,” Smallbone said, before pondering: Has that small light grown over the years – or has it faded?
“As I’ve grown older, hopefully with wisdom, hopefully in maturity, is it getting brighter?”
World on Fire features Grammy-winning singer/producer Taylor Hill.
“We’re in a place in the world where people need inspiration,” Hill told The Lion. “We need hope. We need an example of what it means to carry the light into the world.”
The song isn’t the only new project. In November, Prime Video’s Wonder Project add-on channel will debut a documentary, No Turning Back, which tells the behind-the-scenes story of the group’s personal struggles.
Smallbone said he and his brother felt led by God to open up about their own trials.
“If you can share your story, it motivates and inspires people in their own life to maybe look at things a little differently.”
Meanwhile, the brothers remain focused on finishing their next album – a project they’re praying will carry a message of hope across cultures and continents.
“Music is the universal language, and we’re very fortunate on this song and the mysterious future album to speak the language in a worldwide fashion when it comes to world sounds and world beats,” Joel Smallbone told The Lion. “And I hope … that this is a spiritually focused album that spurs people on to look up instead of down, because a lot of us are looking down today.”
This year’s Dove Awards winners include:
Artist of the Year: Forrest Frank
New Artist of the Year: Leanna Crawford
Song of the Year: Hard Fought Hallelujah, Brandon Lake, Jelly Roll
Gospel Worship Recorded Song of the Year: Come Jesus Come, CeCe Winans, Shirley Caesar
Worship Recorded Song of the Year: I Know A Name, Elevation Worship, Chris Brown, Brandon Lake
Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year: Cry, Hulvey
Spanish Language Recorded Song of the Year: Coritos de Fuego, Israel & New Breed, Unified Sound (ft. Adrienne Bailon-Houghton, Nate Diaz, Aaron Moses, Lucia Parker)
Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year: Live Breathe Fight, Tamela Mann
Southern Gospel Album of the Year: Loving You, The Nelons
Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year: The Jesus Way, Phil Wickham
Feature Film of the Year: The King of Kings
Image: Courtesy of Dove Awards
