Aodhán King Says Hillsong Young & Free Could Return As Talks Near Completion
Aodhán King Says Hillsong Young & Free Could Return As Talks Near Completion. In a recent episode of the Never Had a Bad Day podcast, hosted by JT Smith, former Hillsong Young & Free frontman Aodhán King shared an encouraging yet careful update about the possible return of the widely loved youth worship collective.
During the conversation, the host addressed the question many fans have been asking.
“I’d be a bad interviewer if I didn’t just ask point-blank, is Young & Free ever coming back?”
King answered with cautious optimism. “Yeah, I think so. I think that’s what we’re working on.”
The Australian worship singer, recognised for his vocals on fan favourites like Wake, Real Love, and Sinking Deep, explained that the group has spent considerable time figuring out what the next chapter could look like.
“It’s been a long process to figure out how to move forward and what it would look like,” he said. “Because you know, we’re not young anymore, we’re just free, though.”
Aodhán King pointed to several major shifts since the collective’s early years. At the height of their momentum, the members were deeply connected to youth ministry within Hillsong Church. That dynamic has since changed.
“We were so connected to our youth group, and none of us is working in the youth ministry anymore,” he explained.
While King still participates in youth conferences and related events, he acknowledged that the mission that once defined the group needs to be revisited.
“There are a lot of things about the mission of Young & Free that we just need to reestablish. I’m still passionate about that stuff that needs to look different.”
Another major step has involved separating the collective from its original institutional home. King confirmed that the project’s future would exist independently.
“Obviously, it wouldn’t be part of Hillsong anymore,” he said. “So we’ve had conversations with Hillsong for a long time, trying to get it out and work out what that looks like. Which we’ve pretty much… we’re getting to the end of that. Which has been great.”
Those conversations come after years of change across the broader Hillsong landscape, including leadership transitions and shifts within congregations worldwide.
King said the original members are approaching the future with flexibility rather than pressure.
“If it works, it works,” he said. “I definitely think there’s still passion amongst all the guys to create something that’s like fun and uniquely Young & Free. Yeah, we’ll see.”
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