Joel David Smallbone (born 5 June 1984) is an Australian-American singer and actor. He is a member of the

Christian pop Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith a ...

duo For King & Country along with his brother Luke Smallbone. He played the role of James Stevens in the 2016 film '' Priceless'' and

Antipater Antipater (; ; 400 BC319 BC) was a Macedonian general, regent and statesman under the successive kingships of Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great. In the wake of the collapse of the Argead house, his son Cassander ...

in the 2023 film '' Journey to Bethlehem''. He directed the 2024 American Christian drama film Unsung Hero, plus playing the role of his father David Smallbone. Joel married Christian music artist and actress, Moriah Peters (known professionally as MORIAH) in 2013.

Early life

Smallbone was born in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, but moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

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 Foster the People is an American indie pop band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2009. Its members include founder and frontman Mark Foster (musician), Mark Foster and keyboardist Isom Innis. Foster founded the band in 2009 after spending ...

. 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."

Career

Smallbone did background vocals for his sister Rebecca as well as operating lights and managing the stage. He collaborated with his brother Luke and in 2008 they released their first EP, ''A Tale of Two Towns'', performing under the name Austoville. The group was signed to

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

and later changed its name to For King & Country. Smallbone began his acting career in 2013 by playing King Xerxes in '' The Book of Esther'' and as Jake Reeson in ''

Like a Country Song '' Like a Country Song'' is a 2014 Christian drama film starring Billy Ray Cyrus and Jennifer Taylor. The film released on September 9, 2014, by CMD Distribution. The film also stars Kerry Knuppe, Joel Smallbone. Cast * Billy Ray Cyrus as Bo ...

''. In 2016, Smallbone was cast in the leading role of James Stevens in the film '' Priceless''. Smallbone won two Grammy awards in 2014 and was nominated for another Grammy in 2016 Joel Smallbone 2022

Discography

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smallbone, Joel Living people Australian musicians Australian male actors 1984 births People with multiple citizenship Australian Christians Grammy Award winners Australian expatriate male actors in the United States