In a year that hosted their biggest Aussie tour ever, For King + Country has featured prominently in TCM’s annual chart of the Top 100 songs on Australian Christian radio. TCM has reported that even though the act’s highest charting song in 2024 was at #9, the duo was Australia’s top artist of the year.
The Aussie pop-rock band appears on TCM TOP 100 SONGS OF 2024 four times, with songs from their movie’s Inspired By Soundtrack and their 2022 album. The song Unsung Hero, about their mum and dad’s story – that became the movie’s title – charts at #9. Coming in at #15 is a duet with Michael W Smith with a new version of his 90s single, Place In This World.
Appearing shortly behind that glorious remake, is a cover of an Australian rock classic You’re the Voice, at #18. This song was also covered by Joel and Luke’s sister Rebecca St James on her breakout album God. Maybe this is why they covered it for their movie’s Inspired By Album, since the film covers her rise to stardom.
The band also charts near the end of the list at #84 with What Are We Waiting For? This song has an interesting story of beginnings and endings. It is the name of their 2022 album even though it did not appear on the project until the Deluxe Album the next year. And it charts near the end of the 2024 TCM chart, having been the nation’s #2 song in 2023.
Entry #56 is another soundtrack song linked to Joel Smallbone, even if indirectly. Brand New Life is not sung by For King + Country, but by CCM mainstay Steven Curtis Chapman. However, the song is from the 2023 Christmas movie Journey to Bethlehem which also starred Joel as Herod’s son.
Having been Australia’s fourth top Christian artist in 2023, their successful Homecoming tour and release of their movie Unsung Hero have contributed to a stellar year in their homeland, in 2024. It seems that their tour is a big reason why they were our favourite Christian artist this year.
Not stopping at Number One, the brothers Joel and Luke announced recently that they won’t be touring at all in 2025 – anywhere – while they create a new album and make their next movie. This decision means that 2026 is looking like another huge year for this already huge band.
Jonathan Paper 