(warm instrumental music)(singers vocalizing)

- [Reporter] Joel andLuke Smallbone comprise

the popular Australian singingduo for KING & COUNTRY.

The brothers have won fourGrammys, two this year.

With the unusual year 2020 has been,

for KING & COUNTRY has continued

to give their fans great musicthrough live streaming events

and an outdoor drive-in Christmas tour.

Their new holiday album,"A Drummer Boy Christmas,"

brings their signature styleto traditional songs of hope.

- And joining us now viaZoom is one of the members

of KING & COUNTRY, Joel Smallbone.

Joel, thanks for being with us today.

- Merry Christmas, Wendy, you look lovely.

And I'm sorry we can'tbe there in the flesh.

- I told you, I literallycame to the studio

and thought you guys weregoing to be here in the flesh.

And I was so disappointedand then of course I forgot,

we're living in this COVID world,

but at least we get to see you via Zoom.

So tell us about these livestream events.

Earlier this year you guyshosted A Night of Hope.

You had two and a half million,

at least two and a halfmillion people see it online.

How did this all come together?

- Well, like most things this year

it came together in a very dramatic way.

We got two shows into ourfirst ever full Canadian tour

before the pandemic hit and then we had

to get across the borderbefore they closed it.

And so a week or so afterwe said, well, why don't we,

hey, let's put togethersomething we've never done before

and pipe into our bands'homes in Nashville, Tennessee

and create this TOGETHER: A Night of Hope.

And it was very unprecedented,very complicated,

but we're excited to do it andwe're going to do another one

as well for Christmasnow so it's an exciting,

exciting time in that regard.

In confinement there's always opportunity,

and that's what we'veseen very much this year.

- Absolutely, and Joel, whydo you think it's so important

to give people hope right now?

- Well, honestly, Wendy,that's part of the reason

we did Night of Hope,that's part of the reason

we're doing this Christmas special

and these Christmas drive-ins.

In Florida actually this week

we've got a final weekof, we've done six weeks

of Drummer Boy Drive-In.

Look, it's the most complicatedtouring I've ever done,

Wendy, but it's also someof the most rewarding.

And I was daunted, likehow, with the screen,

you know, the windshield and so far away

and so separated, how does this all work?

And number one, it'snice to hear car horns

used for something positive, but secondly,

people are so anxiousto be coming together.

And so it's really createdthis environment of celebration

which we believe Christmas2020 is gonna be a celebration

like we've never experiencedand so that's been thrilling.

- Yeah, in spite of everything

that this year hasthrown at us, you believe

this is going to be thebest Christmas ever, why?

- I do, I think partlybecause of everything

that's been thrown at us.

And that's part of the reason

we wanted to put together this record,

"A Drummer Boy Christmas,"and do these tours

and really try and getout there is because

we've faced everything this year.

We've faced suicide,we've faced loneliness,

we've faced health issues,we've faced racial issues.

What greater hope is therethan God coming to Earth

and offering humanityredemption and a fresh start

and freedom and to beable to celebrate that

coming into a new yearof healing and hope,

I just think it's so pivotalfor the world really.

- Yeah, well, we're aboutto hear your rendition

of "Little Drummer Boy."

I've been listening toit in my dressing room.

And that song, you say, has aspecial place in your hearts.

Why is that?

- It does, we actually kind of stumbled

across our rendition of it in 2020.

We very zealously, it was theyear we'd released as a band.

We said, we're gonna do a Christmas tour.

We had no Christmas albumor Christmas single.

We just shoved ourselvesinto a factory for 48 hours

and that's what we came up with,

this version of "Drummer Boy."

And it's been such a blessingfrom that day to this

not only with Christmas butjust as we developed as a band

it's really been tellingfor us as young men

who love rhythm and music of going,

we don't have a lot to give,God, but we can offer You

this music and thisart and so here we are.

- Well, it's a great rendition.

That song is the title track

on for KING & COUNTRY's newest album.

It's called "A Drummer Boy Christmas."

And it is availablewherever music is sold.

You'll definitely want to pick that up.

And you'll get more than a dozen hits

including "Joy to theWorld" my other favorite

and "Go Tell it on the Mountain."

And for a sneak preview, here is the song

that brought down the house at last year's

CMA Country Christmas, "LittleDrummer Boy," thanks, Joel.