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Grammy Award-winning duo King & Country release new album What are we waiting for? this month, and singer Luke Smallbone said he hoped the collection of songs would call people to action on personal issues that often become social issues.
“One of the reasons we named the album What are we waiting for it’s because I think that answer is different for each person, the things that I expect, the things that you expect, are different. That’s why I think it’s important to ask,” said Smallbone, who leads the group with his brother Joel.
The inspiration for the album came from the wide range of pressures people experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and all that followed.
“I think over the last few years we realized very quickly that it was a strange time,” the 35-year-old singer said.
“A lot of the things that the pandemic has raised, I think, are questions like, ‘I have dormant dreams lying dormant in my heart and my mind, and life is fragile,'” he continued. “Why” am I chasing them? I think that’s something people are asking for. I think another thing people ask is, ‘I felt bitter and resentful towards anyone.’ Why am I holding on to this? With life as fragile as it seems to have been in recent years, these are questions we all need to ask ourselves.
Smallbone said he hopes listeners “don’t just ask the question” but “we actually answer it and follow through on it.”
The Christian group recently released the music video for the song “Broken halos.” The melody carries a deep message that points listeners to their need for God.
“We look at the last few years, it’s become very clear that if you’re on this side of the street, I’ll be on that side of the street, and there’s just no middle ground for anything.” , said Smallbone. .
“I remember seeing posts on social media from people saying, ‘Well, if you don’t do this, and then you’re this, and then that, we’ve known each other for 15 years, I’m not your friend anymore. ‘ more.’ I was like, “What are we doing? Are we an elementary school here?”
The issues became so “intense” that the musician said he saw friends on social media issuing ultimatums to those who disagreed with them.
“I think it breaks my heart that everyone has reasons to say the things they say. But at the end of the day, we say hurtful things when we ourselves have been hurt,” he said. he declares.
“And I think the sooner we realize that we’ve all made mistakes, even if we project on Instagram that we’re one-sided, the photos we don’t take might indicate something different. You know what? should we lead to a place of compassion, it should hopefully lead us to a place of empathy.
Smallbone said “Broken Halos” was a challenge for himself and for listeners.
“If someone doesn’t look like you, someone doesn’t act like you, if someone doesn’t think like you, that’s no reason for you to find reasons to disagree,” he argued. “In some cases it’s like, ‘Why can’t we find commonalities that don’t necessarily require us all to agree?’ But when I look into someone else’s eyes and I see pain in his eyes, I know what that pain looks like, because I was hurt and everyone else was.
The Australian native encouraged people to show each other “compassion.”
“In some cases, I think that’s what Jesus would do. That’s what we’re trying to do,” he stressed. “We’re trying to live what that looks like. We hope ‘Broken Halos’ illustrates that story about that challenge.
Because King & Country wants its listeners to embrace the idea that everyone shares the same basic human experiences. Several songs on the new album aim to inspire people to focus on what brings humanity together rather than the differences that separate them.
What are we waiting for? focuses on a trio of timely topics for an album forged as the nation grappled with political tensions, racial divisions and a pandemic.
The single “Relate” became the duo’s first track to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart this year. The song highlights the continued search for compassion and empathy in the midst of differences, a message that “Unity” and “Together” also promote.
The Smallbones, now residents of Nashville, Tennessee, say criticism that they get too involved in social issues doesn’t bother them.
“Social problems are essentially personal problems that are multiplying,” the artist said.
“So if you’re not talking about certain social issues, then in some cases you’re not talking about personal issues. Ultimately, “Unity” or “Relationship” is a personal struggle. If you multiply it by thousands, it becomes a social problem. »
Christians should view social problems as the result of “brokenness,” he said.
“So when I talk about unity, I have to first be unified with the people I disagree with,” Smallbone said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t call spade on certain issues. I’m not “I’m saying that. But I say that there are always places where we can find common ground, common ground. “
The father of three explained that when a young child loses a toy, they don’t want a new toy. They cry because they are hurt.
“At the end of the day, when that little kid gets hurt, I know what it feels like to look in the mirror and see the pain in my own eyes,” Smallbone added.
“So while it might be easy for me to say, ‘Get over it already.’ This doesn’t help resolve issues. But for me to look at that child and say, “I’m so sorry you lost that love, I’m so sorry you lost that toy.” And you know what? Even though I can give you the exact same toy, that toy had your fingerprints on it, that toy became your toy and I’m heartbroken for you.’
“At this point, this relationship, even if you haven’t actually solved the problem, there is a way forward,” he assured. “And I hope the social issues that we’re talking about are the point, we’re trying to illustrate that just because something happened doesn’t mean you have to fix all the problems, or that you’re going to fix everything, but the recognition of “x or y”, this is a place that can lead to healing.
“Unsung Hero”, also featured on What are we waiting for? is dedicated to the Smallbones’ parents, Helen and David Smallbone. The eldest Smallbones traveled from Australia to the United States and worked hard to support their children’s musical ambitions. Three of their children, Luke and Joel of King & Country and Rebecca St. James, have become superstars in the Christian music industry.
“Unsung Hero” is more than a song, as the family is producing a film of the same title. The film will focus on the Smallbone family’s journey from Australia and introduce the world to the family matriarch whose faith has helped her family of nine stay strong and resilient through life’s struggles and adventures.
What are we waiting for? is now available wherever music is streamed.
Jeannie Ortega Law is a reporter for The Christian Post. Contact her at: jeannie.law@christianpost.com She is also the author of the book, What is happening to me? How to Defeat Your Invisible Enemy Follow her on Twitter: @jlawcp Facebook: JeannieOMusic
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