Oliver Anthony, the country music artist who went viral after his working-class lament “Rich Men North of Richmond” sailed to the top of the charts, said he has rejected $8 million offers from music industry executives and that he’s just a regular guy who doesn’t want to be in the spotlight.
Mr. Anthony, who has four songs in the top ten on iTunes charts, including “Rich Men North of Richmond” still at number one, took to Facebook on Thursday to post a deeply personal and revealing message about his own struggles, while decrying the social division gripping America.
“I’m sitting in such a weird place in my life right now,” he wrote. “I never wanted to be a full time musician, much less sit at the top of the iTunes charts.”
Mr. Anthony’s “Aint Gotta Dollar” is currently at number 3, “Ive Got to Get Sober” is at number 7, and “I Want to Go Home” is at number 8.
But it’s his hit “Rich Men North of Richmond” (still perched at the top of the charts) that took the internet by storm and catapulted him to prominence.
With verses like “I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day, overtime hours for [expletive] pay,” the song laments the pitfalls of modernity and lifts the lid on the gritty and thankless lives of everyday Americans who rarely brush elbows with Washington elites.
In the song, which has won widespread praise among conservatives, Mr. Anthony takes aim at trends affecting the lives of many Americans, like the rise of the surveillance state, debasement of the dollar, high taxes, and cancel culture.
In his message on Facebook, he lamented the way the internet “has divided all of us,” expressed sadness at the state of the world (“with everyone fighting with each other”), and decried America’s decline.
“I have spent many nights feeling hopeless, that the greatest country on Earth is quickly fading away,” he wrote, reminding his audience that freedom is precious yet fleeting.
By Tom Ozimek
