Eric Church Shares First Solo Song in 3 Years 'Darkest Hour' to Aid Home State of North Carolina After Hurricane Helene

Mar. 15, 2025

Eric Churchis helping out his home state.

On Friday, Oct. 4, the country star, 47, released his first solo song in three years with"Darkest Hour."

In a press release, Church revealed that he will sign over all publishing royalties from the song to the people of North Carolina.

With soulful backing vocals, Church offers a sweeping, hopeful number amid strife.

Church also shared a statement about the meaning behind the track.“From Western North Carolina, East Tennessee, Upstate South Carolina, parts of Georgia and even Florida which took a direct hit, there are so many places that were impacted. Specifically in the area that I’m from, the mountains of Western North Carolina were devastated. There are places that are just biblically gone," he began in a statement.

Church continued: “These are our family members, they’re our friends, they’re our neighbors – and they’re in dire need of help. And I’ve been in the studio for a while, trying some different things and exploring creativity.”

“I had this song that I’d written, and the line that struck me in light of the recent devastation was ‘I’ll come running,’ because there are a lot of people out there right now who are in their darkest hour and they need people to come running,” he said.

While Church explained that he was going to wait to release music until next year, it “didn’t feel right to wait with this song.”

“Sometimes you give songs their moment and sometimes they find their own moment,” he said, adding that “Darkest Hour” was “the best way I could think to try to help.“While Church has been helping with “boots on the ground efforts,” this song will live on “beyond just the immediate recovery.”

“This song goes to my home, North Carolina, now and forever,” he said, noting that the track is dedicated to “the unsung heroes, the people who show up when the world’s falling apart.”

Added Church: “This is for the folks who show up in the hardest times, offering a hand when it’s most needed, and standing tall when others can’t. Even in your darkest hour, they come running. When the night’s at its blackest, this is for those who are holding the light, guiding the lost and pulling us through.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Eric Church performs in Nashville in August 2024.Brett Carlsen/Getty

Brett Carlsen/Getty

While the “Drink in My Hand” artist said the song is about Hurricane Helene right now, in a broader sense, “it’s about any challenging times that we have in our life, which we’ll all have.”

“And it’s always important to know that in your darkest hour, there are people that will come running, there are people that will help. And I think it’s also important to be one of the people that go running when other people need help,” Church concluded.

In addition to his efforts in North Carolina, Church’s nonprofitChief Careswill be helping all states and communities affected from Appalachia to the Gulf.

Earlier this year, Church performed his 19-date concert residencyEric Church: To Beat the Devilat his Nashville barChief’s on Broadway, which ran April 5 through June 9.

To learn more about how to help with relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts from Hurricane Helene,click here.

source: people.com