NASHVILLE, Tennessee (EYT) — A Clarion native won Song of the Year at the BMI Country Music Awards on Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee.

Nate Cyphert, formerly of Clarion, won the BMI Song of the year award for the song H.O.L.Y.

Nate wrote and arraigned the song, and it was recorded last year by Florida-Georgia Line.

In a previous interview, Nate told exploreClarion.com, “I’m so excited for the song and even more excited and humbled to have friends and family from my hometown excited.”

Music has been in Cyphert’s veins for a long time first making his mark with the Clarion Singers as a student at Clarion Area High School.

“After graduating from Clarion Area, I attended Hofstra University on Long Island, New York,” said Nate. “I studied music, and while I was there, I started a band. After college, I more or less pursued the band full-time, touring all over the US. In like 2012 to 2013, the band broke up, and I started getting into more songwriting for other people.”

He moved to Los Angeles in the summer of 2013 and started writing full-time.

Although he has had a few songs released, and they do well mostly in overseas markets, H.O.L.Y. is his first major US release.

H.O.L.Y. stands for High On Loving You.

“There is a lot of spiritual imagery in the song, and for me, it really represents what it feels like to find the power of love,” continued Nate.

“When you have someone in your life that truly can turn your dark into light, can make you feel safe and calm. It’s an impossible feeling to put into words, but hopefully, this song comes close to portraying the impact and the beauty of that human connection.”

Nate is the son of Randy Cyphert and Jolene Weaver Frampton.

Here is a complete list of the winners: https://www.bmi.com/news/entry/2017-bmi-country-awards