Philip Joel Urry (born 5 January 1973), known by his stage name Phil Joel, is a New Zealand musician and former bassist for the

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

group

Newsboys Newsboys (sometimes stylised as newsboys) are a Christian rock band founded in 1985 in Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia, by Peter Furler and George Perdikis. Now based in Nashville, Tennessee, the band has released 17 studio albums, 6 of which ...

Background

Philip Joel Urry was born in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, New Zealand. He was lead singer and guitarist of the band Drinkwater. He joined the

as bassist in August 1994. In June 2000, he released his first solo album, ''Watching Over You'', on

Inpop Records Inpop Records is an independent contemporary Christian music record label based in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. It was launched in July 1999 by Australians Peter Furler, Dale Bray, and Wes Campbell. The name was derived from the idea of wanting ...

. He supported this album with the ''Strangely Normal Tour'' accompanied by LaRue,

Luna Halo Luna Halo was a rock band formed in 1999 by Nathan Barlowe and Jonny MacIntosh, as a replacement for their former band, Reality Check, which was known for its hip-hop and rock blend, its dancers, and its trumpet player. Musical career History ...

Earthsuit Earthsuit was a New Orleans-based Christian rock band formed in 1995. The band consisted of guitarist Dave Rumsey, keyboardist/vocalist Paul Meany, bassist Roy Mitchell, drummer David "Hutch" Hutchison, and vocalist Adam LaClave. Earthsuit's so ...

V*Enna V*Enna was a Christian pop music and dance duo made up of members Lucy Britten and Sharnessa Shelton. The group was formed by Mark Pennells and Zarc Porter previously from the World Wide Message Tribe as a response to pop stars such as Britney Spe ...

& Katy Hudson (now known as

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

Newsboys at the 2001 National Lutheran Youth Gathering

His second solo album, ''Bring It On'', was released in November 2002 also on

Inpop Inpop Records is an independent contemporary Christian music record label based in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. It was launched in July 1999 by Australians Peter Furler, Dale Bray, and Wes Campbell. The name was derived from the idea of wanting ...

. His third album, ''The deliberatePeople''. ''Album'' was released on 18 November 2005 in conjunction with Phil and Heather Joel's newly founded Christian ministry, deliberatePeople. The album was praised for its stripped down rock, reminiscent of the

Jesus Music Jesus music, known as gospel beat music in the United Kingdom, is a style of Christian music that originated on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This musical genre developed in parallel to the Jesus movemen ...

era of Christian Music. His wife, Heather, is a former host of ''All Access'' and ''Hit Trip'' on CMT. He met Heather at a radio station in her native

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

. They were married in 1996 and have two children. In December 2006, Joel announced that he would be leaving the Newsboys in order to devote more time to his family. In September 2008, Joel released his fifth solo CD titled ''The New Normal,'' which was his third self-produced album. Joel began the project Zealand Worship in 2015. In December 2017 it was announced that Joel would be joining his former Newsboys band mates on the year-long Newsboys United tour. Joel's debut book, ''Redwoods & Whales,'' was released by Thomas Nelson on 16 April 2019. In January 2021 Joel returned to his solo career, releasing the EP ''Better Than I Found It'', which he recorded in his home studio during lockdown in New Zealand.

Discography

Zealand Worship

* '' Zealand Worship - The EP'' (

Word Records Word Records is a Christian faith-based entertainment company based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is owned by Curb Records, and is a part of Word Entertainment. It is distributed by Warner Records (the former Warner Bros. Records). History In 1 ...

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

, 2015) * ''Liberated'' (Word Records/Warner Bros. Records, 2018)

Newsboys

* '' Take Me To Your Leader'' (

Star Song Communications Star Song Communications is a Christian record label that was started in 1976 by Wayne Donowho, who recruited his friend Darrell Harris. It gained notoriety when it issued Resurrection Band's ground-breaking debut album, Awaiting Your Reply in 19 ...

, 1996) * '' Step Up to the Microphone'' (

Sparrow Records Sparrow Records is a Christian music record label and a division of Universal Music Group. History Sparrow Records was founded in 1976 by Billy Ray Hearn, then artists and repertoire (A&R) director at Myrrh Records. Purchased by Thorn EMI in ...

, 1998) * '' Love Liberty Disco'' (

, 1999) * '' Thrive'' (

, 2002) * '' Adoration: The Worship Album'' (

, 2003) * ''

Devotion Devotion or Devotions may refer to: Religion * Faith, confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept * Anglican devotions, private prayers and practices used by Anglican Christians * Buddhist devotion, commitment to religious observance * Cat ...

'' (

, 2004) * '' Go'' (

, 2006) * ''United'' (

Fair Trade Services Fair Trade Services, formerly known as INO Records, is an American record label based in Brentwood, Tennessee, specializing in Contemporary Christian music (CCM). History The label was founded in 1999 as INO Records, a division of M2 Communica ...

, 2019)

Albums

* ''Watching Over You'' (

, 2000) * ''Bring it On'' (

, 2002) * ''The deliberatePeople. Album'' (2005) * ''deliberateKids'' (2007) * ''The New Normal'' (2008) * ''deliberateKids 2'' (2010) * ''Playlist'' (2012) * ''Better Than I Found It'' (2021)

Singles

* "God Is Watching Over You" (2000, ''Watching Over You'') – Christian CHR No. 2, Christian AC No. 9 * "Strangely Normal" (2000, ''Watching Over You'') – Christian CHR No. 5 * "Author of Life" (2000, ''Watching Over You'') * "Be Number One" (2000, ''Watching Over You'') * "I Adore You" (2002, ''Bring It On'') – Christian AC No. 21 * "Resolution" (2002, ''Bring It On'') * "No Longer" (2002, ''Bring It On'') * "The Man You Want Me to Be" (2002, ''Bring It On'') – ''Billboard'' Christian Songs No. 22, Christian AC No. 15 * "Changed" (2006, ''The deliberatePeople. Album'') * "Good Good Father" (2015, ''Zealand Worship - The EP'') * "Your Love is Wild" (2016, ''Your Love is Wild - Single'') * "Spirit Sing" (2018, ''Liberated'')

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joel, Phil 1973 births Living people New Zealand bass guitarists Male bass guitarists New Zealand Christians New Zealand pop singers People from Auckland Inpop Records artists New Zealand expatriates in the United States Newsboys members 21st-century New Zealand male singers 21st-century bass guitarists Peter Furler Band members New Zealand male guitarists