The Chief’s influence is everywhere.
If there’s one thing that cannot be overstated, it’s the huge impact that Eric Church’s music has had on some of the biggest and brightest stars of both today and the near future. Of course, we all know the impact that the Chief has had on the likes of Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs and HARDY, all of whom have gone on record saying how big of an influence he has had on their development as artists. With that being said, however, it’s not just mainstream powerhouses that have been influenced by the “Springsteen” singer. Lately, some of the best and brightest stars of the independent/alt. country scene have also shown Church some love.
Of course, Charles Wesley Godwin is one who’s worn his love for Church’s music on his sleeve for years, covering “Sinners Like Me” in the past and recently joining him over the weekend in Seattle for a phenomenal performance of both “Sinners Like Me” and “Pancho and Lefty” as he serves as direct support on the Free the Machine Tour.
Another artist who recently expressed her love for Church and his musical style is none other than Carter Faith.
In case you’re somehow unfamiliar with Faith at this point, she’s undeniably one of the brightest up-and-coming female artists in the entire genre at this point. After releasing her debut single, “Leaving Tennessee,” in 2020, the self-described “cowgirl hippie and sometimes kind of trippy” has flown up the ranks over the past two years in particular with her patented 70s-inspired sound. This was best displayed on her debut album, Cherry Valley, which was released last month and quickly flew to the top of many’s Top Albums of 2025 lists, thanks in part to infectious, sassy tracks such as “Grudge,” “Betty” and “Bar Star.”
Faith recently sat down with Kelly Sutton and Amber Anderson on Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast, discussing everything from the creation of Cherry Valley, her unexpected friendship with Landman star, Billy Bob Thornton, her new acting career and more.
On the topic of musical influences, Faith would point to none other than the Chief himself.
As the “Betty” singer explains, one of the main appeals of Church to her was the simple fact that he is a fellow North Carolinian, and she actually grew up just a few towns over from his hometown of Granite Falls (Faith herself grew up in Davidson, which is about an hour drive away).
“So I, North Carolina girl, [am a] big Eric Church fan. He is everything to me. He’s like from the town over, so I claim him whether he likes it or not. He doesn’t know me at all, but…”
It’s not just the North Carolina connection that drew Faith to the “Talladega” singer’s music, however. She’d also reveal that she learned to sing while listening to Church’s early records because her dad was such a big fan of him. And to Faith, it was the complexity of his harmonies that helped her not only improve as a vocalist but also as a songwriter while creating different melodies and harmonies.
“I just loved [his music] and my dad loves him. So we listened to so much Eric Church, and I really loved his melodies. I also learned to sing by singing harmonies in the car, and his songs are really hard to sing for a girl harmony. Like his range is actually shockingly very wide, and I wanted to do that with my songs. I like the lowest note being so far from the highest note.
Later in the interview, she’d also point to Kacey Musgraves being one of her biggest influences as a songwriter, noting that “Merry Go Round” is one of her favorite songs from the 7x Grammy winner.
“I remember when I heard ‘Merry Go Round’ by Kacey Musgraves. We were pulling into the Walmart, and I was like, ‘We can’t go in yet. I need to listen to this. So I think those two people will always be like my songwriting cornerstones, if you will.”
Unsurprisingly, you can absolutely hear the influence while listening to Faith’s discography. Whether it’s the incredibly clever songwriting present on “Sex, Drugs, & Country Music” (which I could easily see being written by the Chief himself) or the vocal range displayed on “Changed,” it’s more than apparent. Ultimately, it looks like we can officially add Carter Faith to the growing list of names Church has inspired throughout his legendary career.
Listen to the full podcast here:
Carter Faith Tour Dates
November 15 – Nashville, TN – Red Bull Jukebox
December 6-7 – Sydney, NSW – ICC Sydney Theatre
December 10-11 – Melbourne, VIC – Margaret Court Arena
December 13 – Brisbane, QLD – Brisbane Entertainment Centre
December 14 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
