For King & Country Says New Song ‘World on Fire’ Offers Hope Amid American Turmoil
When brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone scheduled a fall release earlier this year, they could not have predicted how raw the moment would feel when the date arrived. Quoting Proverbs 16:9, “We make our plans, but God orders our steps.” The new single lands into a country that is hungry for steady voices.
World on Fire drops Oct. 3 and is built to nudge Christians to stand bright in messy places, pointing people toward the hope found in Jesus. The song aims to be practical not preachy, a call to light small corners of culture one steady step at a time. It’s pop-forward and faith-forward without apology.
The release comes as the nation reels from a string of painful events, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the stabbing of Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte bus, and separate school shootings in Minnesota and Colorado. Those realities make a hopeful anthem feel less optional and more urgent. For King & Country want to answer that urgency with art, not noise.
“We started working on this music last year. We planned this date four months ago with no idea, obviously, as to what state we would all find ourselves in in this country and around the world,” Joel Smallbone told Crosswalk Headlines.
Joel says the timing felt like a gentle push rather than a coincidence, a nudge to release something that could actually help people process pain. The band sees music as a language that can carry both sorrow and healing. They wanted to give listeners something to sing into the dark.
“I really feel that the language of the angels and the language of expressing our hopes and hurts and pains can be found in music, and the fact that Luke and I and the band are able to put a soundtrack to what people are feeling and how they can optimistically, thoughtfully, respond out of — we feel really humbled by the opportunity to put this [out], I’ll call it hope on the airwaves.”
The track is drum-driven, toe-tapping, and built around a chorus that dares you to keep shining. It declares, “I will never dim my light — I’m gonna set my world on fire.” Featuring guest vocals from Taylor Hill, the single is expected to appear on their next studio project, their first since 2022, though a full album date has not been announced.
Joel frames the song as an antidote to cultural darkness, an invitation to live differently rather than simply complain. He wants the music to model a hopeful posture when public commentary often tips into anger and despair. The point is not to ignore trouble but to live illuminated in it.
“It does tend to feel like the world is on fire in many ways, [but] this song is talking about something very different, and that is — my world on fire. What does it look like in the midst of chaos for you to radically have peace, to have joy, to have love? What does it mean to not put your light under a bushel, to be a city on a hill for others to look to? “
“What does it mean when the comments section is overloaded with negativity or there’s political or racial or social tension, for you to exemplify, and for me to exemplify, this otherworldly way of the upside-down kingdom of loving and looking to someone greater than yourself and finding that ultimate peace?”
Though the brothers have stepped back from a heavy touring schedule, they’ve used the break intentionally to refill their cups. Time with family, focused studio work, and creative rest have been the order of business this season. They’re also preparing a limited run of A Drummer Boy Christmas shows this December.
“This was one of the most pivotal years in the journey For King & Country in our lives, individually,” Joel Smallbone told Crosswalk Headlines. “And I believe there is another side of this, a sort of For King & Country 2.0, that if we hadn’t have done this sort of formation time — you’ve gotta pour in, to be able to pour out. And we wouldn’t have had anything left to pour out after 12 years of just relentless traveling and working.”
Photo Credit: © For King & Country
Michael Foust has covered faith and culture for two decades, writing for national outlets and reporting at the intersection of belief and current events. His work often explores how faith shapes artists and leaders who influence public life.
Listen to Michael’s Podcast! He hosts Crosswalk Talk, a podcast that interviews Christian musicians, filmmakers, and actors about faith and craft. Find Crosswalk Talk on major podcast platforms and at Crosswalk’s podcast hub so you never miss an encouraging conversation.
Originally published September 19, 2025.
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