North Carolina receives ownership of new Eric Church song to benefit Helene recovery

BANNER ELK, N.C. (WNCN) — The first new solo music release from Eric Church in three years will benefit his home state of North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Church announced on Friday he was signing over his publishing royalties for his song “Darkest Hour” to provide immediate relief following the hurricane and to support North Carolina’s future.

“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,” Church said in a statement. “In the area I’m from, the mountains of Western North Carolina were devastated. There are places that are just biblically gone. These are our family members, they’re our friends, they’re our neighbors, and they’re in dire need of help.

“This song, ‘Darkest Hour’, was the best way I could think to try to help,” he continued in his statement. “We’ve been helping with boots on the ground efforts, but this is something that will live beyond just the immediate recovery. This is not a quick thing to fix, so hopefully ‘Darkest Hour’ will be able to contribute to that for a long time to come. This song goes to my home, North Carolina, now and forever.”

Church said the song is dedicated to unsung heroes who help others when they’re needed the most.

“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,” he said in his statement. Even in your darkest hour, they come running.

“The message of the song specifically in this time is about Hurricane Helene and the people that need help, but in a broader view, it’s about any challenging times that we have in our life, which we’ll all have,” Church continued in his statement. “It’s always important to know that in your darkest hour, there are people that will come running, there are people that will help. I think it’s also important to be one of the people that go running when other people need help.”

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