Country star Eric Church is giving his newest song, "Darkest Hour," to North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
Church grew up in Granite Falls, 30 miles south of Blowing Rock. He attended Appalachian State University and is a self-proclaimed Tar Heels basketball fan, even canceling a April 2022 concert in San Antonio, Texas, so he could watch the Tar Heels play the Blue Devils in the Final Four.
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Church announced this week he has given all publishing rights and proceeds from "Darkest Hour" to the state.
In a video posted to Instagram, Church said he spends much of the year in western North Carolina.
"It's a refuge for me," he said. "It's a place where I've always said my soul was at rest."
Like so many, Church is devastated by what happened in the mountains.
"There are places that are just biblicaly gone ... there's still people we haven't found," Church said.
The country artist said he was in his studio working on a project for next year when he got the idea. He had just finished "Darkest Hour," and it fit.
"It just fit the moment," he said. "I felt helpless, I was trying to figure out what can we do, how can we help?"
Church has been collecting money for Helene victims and helping get supplies to the mountains with his Chief Cares Foundation, but said he wanted to do more to raise awareness.
That's when he signed all publishing rights away.
"I'm giving this song to the people of North Carolina. ... it will no longer be mine, it will belong to the state," he said. "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.”