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

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.