As Oliver Anthony’s music skyrocketed with his hit single “Rich Men North of Richmond,” he’s sticking to the basics of humility as he pursues music to be a symbol of unity, not division.
“It’s my belief that divine intervention has put me in this position in this point in time to get a message across, and that’s all there is to it,” Anthony said in a recent YouTube video. “I’m nobody special…there are a lot of artists and musicians out there that are far more talented that have put in way more hours than me.”
For Anthony, the most important thing isn’t a massive fan base or accepting a major record deal. It’s having the opportunity to change lives.
“What I care about is connecting with people,” Anthony said. “I don’t know what this country is going to look like in 10 or 20 years if things don’t change. I don’t’ know what this world’s going to look like, and, like, something has to be done about it.”
One of the biggest tenets for Anthony is that he doesn’t become a divisive figure between the political left and right, which he currently believes he is being utilized in this way.
“It’s aggravating seeing certain musicians and politicians act like we’re buddies and act like we’re fighting the same struggle here,” Anthony said. “It seems like certain people want to just ride the attention of the song to maybe make their own selves relevant.”
This comes during a time when Oliver Anthony continues to turn away record deals as he has hired two of his own people to help him coordinate tours.
“I am pleased to announce that I hired two gentlemen in Nashville this week to help me with creating the 2024 tour,” Anthony wrote on Facebook. “As I said early on, I am not signing any deals or selling any percentage of my music. There’s no amount of money that is worth risking the direct line of communication you and I currently have.”
Anthony also wrote on Facebook in response to articles he believed were misleading.
“There was no ‘major industry deal’ signed,” Anthony wrote. “These articles make it seem like I signed with a record label. Booking agents don’t even have contracts to sign, it’s all verbal.”
As Anthony seeks to stay away from being like any other star-studded celebrity, he has been using his platform to share God’s transformative power in his own life. In an interview with Joe Rogan, Anthony shared his cry out to the Lord.
“I’ll give up the weed, and I’ll quit getting drunk and I’ll quit being so angry about things…I’ll start over again and I’ll make Him the focus and not me,” Anthony said.
As Oliver Anthony’s platform continues to grow, how he decides to share his messages will make a difference not only for his public image, but also for how his music will be perceived by audiences. {eoa}
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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator for Charisma Media.
