Emerging out of nowhere, Oliver Anthony rocketed to fame last week with his track ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’. The ballad rose to number one on iTunes over international hits by names like Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, and Travis Scott. In the midst of this whirlwind, the charts show him even outpacing fellow country sensation, Morgan Wallen.
Despite the overnight explosion of his song on Apple Music, whispers about multi-million dollar offers (to the tune of $8 million!) have emerged. But here’s the twist: Anthony’s not buying into the glitz and glamour. He’s taken to Facebook, unraveling the story behind the man, the music, and why he’s swerving past these big deals.
Anthony writes:
‘People in the music industry give me blank stares when I brush off 8 million dollar offers. I don’t want 6 tour buses, 15 tractor trailers and a jet. I don’t want to play stadium shows, I don’t want to be in the spotlight. I wrote the music I wrote because I was suffering with mental health and depression.’
‘I’m sitting in such a weird place in my life right now. I never wanted to be a full time musician, much less sit at the top of the iTunes charts,’
Those in the loop might be shocked, but Anthony’s met these offers with a nonchalant shrug. He believes the heart of his music pulsates with raw emotion. As he so eloquently puts it, it’s about “the real feel of each word sung in that very moment. No fluff, no middlemen. Just a man and his guitar.”
So, who is Oliver Anthony? Diving deep into his backstory, he’s candid about his roots. Having stepped away from high school in 2010 and secured his GED by 17, his journey wasn’t one paved with gold. The grind of plant jobs in Western NC molded his perspective, with his days culminating in grueling shifts at a paper mill in McDowell county. His resolve was tested when a 2013 work accident left him with a fractured skull.
The subsequent years saw him retreat to Virginia and, once recovered, dive into the world of ‘outside sales’ in the industrial sector. Anthony’s story is one of grit and passion, with his songs echoing the depths of his experiences.
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