Eric Church brought the 2024 CMA Awards crowd to a hush with his performance of "Darkest Hour" during the ceremony on Wednesday night (Nov. 20).

The moment reminded everyone watching there is still work to be done in east Tennessee and western North Carolina.

Church's performance was kept a surprise leading up to the show. He first released his "Hurricane Helene edit" of "Darkest Hour" last month as part of his efforts to provide relief and aid for those impacted by the storm.

Earlier this week, he told Taste of Country the song would be included on his next studio album, expected in 2025.

"We're pretty good in this country at the 911 part, which is the food, the water, the diapers," Church says. "We're not very good at the next part, which is how do we keep people there, how do we rebuild the community?"

"And I realized pretty quickly that these people need a place to live, otherwise we're going to lose the people, and we'll never rebuild the communities if they disperse."

For that reason, working to keep families in the area was an easy decision.

The singer co-headlined the Concert for Carolina with Luke Combs in October, raising nearly $24.5 million toward relief efforts. Additionally, Church has committed to a longterm presence to help rebuilding efforts in his home state of North Carolina.

He announced a new building initiative with the initial goal of constructing homes for 100 families in hard-hit Avery County and the surrounding area.

It's the singer's second consecutive year playing the CMAs: In 2023, he joined forces with Morgan Wallen for a performance of their hit single, "Man Made a Bar."

This performance was uplifting. He strummed a guitar as he sang, with a full chorus behind him to elevate the message.

Church has won nominations and awards at the CMAs several times throughout his career. Most recently, he won Entertainer of the Year in 2020.

The 2024 CMA Awards aired live from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on ABC. Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning co-hosted the show.