As real as it gets.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you should be well-aware of the overnight-sensation that is Oliver Anthony.
His song, “Rich Men North Of Richmond,” blew up last week and has now racked up a massive 18 million views on RadioWV’s Youtube channel in just 8 days.
The viral track sends a powerful message to the rich politicians in D.C. and has resonated with listeners everywhere. It quickly went to No. 1 on iTunes and Apple Music and is now projected to take the top spot on Billboard’s all-gene, Hot 100 chart.
Anthony put together a free, last-minute show last Saturday in North Carolina, where the 25 acre parking lot was completely full with vehicles, and even Jamey Johnson stopped by to perform “In Color“ with the new rising star.
Although fame has sprung Anthony’s way, he took to Facebook and shared a lengthy “introductory” post, in which he discusses why he goes by something other than his legal name, his past addictions, and revealing that the spotlight is not what he actually wanted.
“Im 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.“
“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. 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 bullshit. Just some idiot and his guitar. The style of music that we should have never gotten away from in the first place.”
“There’s nothing special about me. I’m not a good musician, I’m not a very good person. I’ve spent the last 5 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.”
Read the full statement, here: