Country music star Eric Church drops new song to help communities impacted by Helene

"I'm giving this song to the people of North Carolina," country music star Eric Church said of his new song " Darkest Hour " early Friday morning on Instagram .

Why it matters: Hurricane Helene pummeled western North Carolina and people around the world are lending a hand however they can. For Church — a Granite Falls, N.C., native and Appalachian State University alum — that means signing away the publishing rights to " Darkest Hour " to the state and its people.

Zoom in: Song royalties will be distributed by Church's The Chief Cares Fund , the Charlotte Observer reported .

• Chief refers to Church's nickname, which was also his grandfather's nickname (he was the police chief of Granite Falls, a small town just north of Hickory). Church also has a bar in Nashville called Chief's and a 2011 album named "Chief."
• This is Church's first solo release since 2021, per Rolling Stone .

Between the lines: Church was working on a project for next year when he decided to release "Darkest Hour," because the song "just fit the moment," he said in the Instagram video.

• The goal is to raise awareness and funds for years to come and provide supplies to people in western North Carolina.
• He also called on fans to donate to The Chief Cares Fund. Contributions will go to communities throughout the Southeast affected by Helene.

What he's saying: "I spend half my year in the mountains of North Carolina," Church said. "It's a refuge for me."

• After Helene, "there are places that are just Biblically gone," and many people still missing, Church said.
• More than 200 people have died because of Helene. It's one of the deadliest storms to hit the U.S. this century, Axios' Rebecca Falconer reported .

The bottom line: "There are a lot of people [in the Southeast] that are in their darkest hour, and they need us to come running. And I intend to do that," Church said.

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