Kenny Chesney Launches Love For Love City Foundation in Wake of Hurricane Irma

The singer says the name comes from St. John's nickname, Love City, because there is a lot of love on the island.

Written by Annie Reuter
Kenny Chesney Launches Love For Love City Foundation in Wake of Hurricane Irma
Kenny Chesney, Photo by Allister Ann

For 15 years, Kenny Chesney has considered the Virgin Islands his second home. It is where he has gone for both creative and personal growth and in the wake of Hurricane Irma, his home is now unrecognizable. In an interview with HLN’s Robin Meade, the singer says that while his house on the island has been destroyed, he is more worried for the people in the area displaced after the hurricane as he continues to brainstorm ways to help.

“That place and the people mean so much more to me than my house,” he tells Meade. “I think we’re all going to come together and we’re going to do so much to rebuild. The people’s souls down there, they’re hurting.”

The singer says he has always felt that music is medicine and he is going to do the best he can to relieve the stress of his loved ones affected by the storm.

“These islands have shaped me as a human being; it’s given me creativity, it’s given me a different way of looking at the world, a different window at seeing the world through,” he explains. “It breaks my heart. The people is what I think about the most. I have some of the best friends of my life down there, that knew me before I got famous and before my life changed. They’re just so wonderful and they’re facing the hardest time of their life right now.”

Chesney says his mind has been racing on how to best help those affected by Hurricane Irma in the Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands. Upon hearing of the devastation on Thursday (Sept. 7), the singer has started a foundation called Love For Love City where fans can donate money. While he’s still getting all the details finalized, he urges fans to visit his website in the coming days to learn of more ways they can help.

The singer says the name comes from St. John’s nickname, Love City, because there is a lot of love on the island. In addition to the foundation, Chesney is working on tying in a musical connection to help raise money. Since the islands have changed his life musically, he says it’s one way he hopes to give back and to relieve the stress the island’s inhabitants are currently dealing with.

“Hopefully we can all come together and spread a lot of love and resources and try to make things better for everyone,” he says.

In the meantime, he has filled his plane with water and dog food for displaced animals in the Virgin Islands. In time he is certain the islands will rebuild.

“We will rebuild and we will recover. My island family has a lot of heart and I know that we’re going to recover but it’s going to take a lot of help,” he concedes.