The recently famous Oliver Anthony shocked the music industry by turning down a lucrative multi-million dollar offer. The “Rich Men North of Richmond” singer claimed he had no interest in being rich and famous, much to the music industry’s surprise.
The musician also pointed out that his real name is Christopher Anthony Lunsford, and the name “Oliver Anthony” belongs to his grandfather, to which he pays tribute through using his namesake. “At this point, I’ll gladly go by Oliver because everyone knows me as such. But my friends and family still call me Chris. You can decide for yourself, either is fine,” he said, according to Fox News.
Anthony discussed how the newfound fame has put him in an interesting situation. He went from being a farmer in rural Virginia to topping the iTunes charts in a matter of days. The singer burst onto the country music scene when his hit song went viral, quickly gaining traction.
Fox News further quoted: “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. Draven from RadioWv and I filmed these tunes on my land with the hope that it may hit 300k views. I still don’t quite believe what has went on since we uploaded that. It’s just strange to me,” he said
Anthony claims that since “Rich Men North of Richmond” has taken off, he has been approached by business interests looking to offer him enticing deals. However, the musician stated he wants nothing o do with that lifestyle. “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,” Anthony stated.
Anthony also addressed his motivations for getting into the music scene. Apparently, he had been suffering from mental illness and took to writing his now-famous songs to cope with it. Much to his surprise, he has reached an audience well into the millions.
“I wrote the music I wrote because I was suffering with mental health and depression. These songs have connected with millions of people on such a deep level because they’re being sung by someone feeling the words in the very moment they were being sung. No editing, no agent, no bulls–t. Just some idiot and his guitar. The style of music that we should have never gotten away from in the first place,” he said.
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“There’s nothing special about me. I’m not a good musician, I’m not a very good person. I’ve spent the last five years struggling with mental health and using alcohol to drown it. I am sad to see the world in the state it’s in, with everyone fighting with each other. I have spent many nights feeling hopeless, that the greatest country on Earth is quickly fading away,” Anthony continued.
Anthony recently played a live concert in Virginia that sold out instantaneously. The singer has hinted that he will perform future shows amid growing demand for his music. Check out “Rich Men North of Richmond” below.
Rich Men North of Richmond has been uploaded to all major streaming platforms and will show up there in a few days.
Im still in a state of shock at the outpouring of love I've seen in the comments, messages and emails. I'm working to respond to everyone as quickly as possible. pic.twitter.com/iScaYp9AWQ
— Oliver Anthony (@AintGottaDollar) August 11, 2023
Note: Featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.