SIX MILE — A hometown celebration is coming to Six Mile this Sunday, July 5, as singer-songwriter Blake Whiten returns to mark the release of his debut album, “Something To Say,” and gives back to the town where it all started.

Whiten, 21, will perform songs from the new album at Durham’s Convenience Mart beginning at 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the community. The celebration will also include free gas and food earlier in the day (3-5 p.m., while supplies last), followed by a bonfire at 116 N. Main St. Organizers are working alongside town officials to help keep the event smooth, safe and enjoyable for everyone in attendance.

The gathering at Durham’s Convenience Mart is also meant as a thank-you to the hometown supporters who have followed Whiten’s story from the beginning — family, friends, teachers, church members, former coworkers, neighbors and early listeners who watched his music grow from local talent to national attention.

The celebration comes just days after “Something To Say” arrives Friday, July 3, via Enchntmnt/Warner Records. For many in Six Mile, the event will be a chance to cheer on someone they remember long before the record deal, national tours, stadium stages and more than 340 million global streams.

Whiten’s story is still a hometown story at its core.

He grew up here, went to Daniel High School, worked at various local businesses, including at the Burning Brick, Ingles and Heritage Building Company, and his grandfather serves as the pastor at Word In Action Church in Six Mile. Before music carried him across the country, he was part of the same everyday rhythms that shape life in Six Mile — school, church, work, family, neighbors and the familiar roads that lead back home.

Music entered his life early. His father first put a guitar in his hands when Whiten was 7 years old and taught him a few chords. Raised on everything from Keith Whitley and Alan Jackson to AC/DC, Creed and Nickelback, Whiten developed the kind of musical instincts that do not fit neatly into one box. That mix now shows up in the songs he writes — country storytelling with a harder edge, built around raw emotion and a voice that has been described as broken glass.

By 15, Whiten was already writing songs, though he was not always eager to share them. His family sometimes had to coax him into playing what he had written, and like many young artists, he had to grow into his voice before he was ready for the world to hear it. Over time, the songs became more than something he kept to himself. They became the place where heartbreak, faith, frustration and growing up all had somewhere to go.

That voice eventually found its way online. Whiten began posting videos from his bedroom, singing covers and original songs with the kind of raspy, emotional sound that made people stop scrolling. What started quietly at home began reaching listeners far beyond the people who knew him personally.

Then came the moment that changed the pace of everything.

After one of Whiten’s bedroom covers of Morgan Wallen’s “I’m the Problem” went viral, he boarded his first flight ever just two days later, leaving Six Mile for Nashville. It was his first time on a plane and one of the first signs that the music he had been making at home was opening doors far outside of town.

Since then, his rise has moved quickly. Whiten’s breakout single “Rollin’ Stone” helped introduce him to a growing national audience, his self-penned debut EP, “Six Mile,” captured the place and spirit that shaped him, and his songwriting has continued to gain attention. He has made his Grand Ole Opry debut, performed for fans across the country and is set this summer to open stadium shows on Morgan Wallen’s tour — a full-circle moment for an artist whose path first widened after one of Wallen’s songs helped carry his voice beyond his bedroom.

Even with that momentum, the roots of his story remain easy to trace.

Whiten has called himself “about as old soul as new school gets,” and that description fits the way his music often feels both young and weathered at the same time. His songs carry themes of heartbreak, resilience, missing home, hard work and finding a way through difficult days. The people and places around Six Mile have helped shape that point of view, giving his writing the kind of lived-in feeling that listeners have connected with.

His debut album, “Something To Say,” marks a major step in that journey. Produced by Austin Shawn, the 12-song project pairs Whiten’s Southern foundation with darker, alt-rock intensity, built around thundering drums, electric guitars, raw vocals and heavy-hearted storytelling. It is a coming-of-age moment for an artist who has gone from writing songs at home to sharing them on a national stage, while still holding tightly to the roots that first gave him something to say.

Sunday’s event gives the community a chance to celebrate that milestone close to where it began.

Community members are encouraged to arrive early and to be patient as the town and event team work together throughout the evening.

For Six Mile, July 5 will be more than an album celebration. It will be a chance to gather around one of its own and recognize the path from a guitar at home, to a first flight out of town, to a debut album reaching listeners everywhere.

Whiten will perform at Durham’s Convenience Mart in Six Mile on Sunday, July 5 at 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Free gas and food will be available from 3-5 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. Parking for the performance will be available in the lot between Durham’s Convenience Mart and Taco Riendo, with guests asked to enter from Old Keowee Church Road. Carpooling is encouraged.