Gaining stardom thanks to his hit song “Rich Men North of Richmond”, Oliver Anthony watched as success practically engulfed him overnight. While exploring a career in the music industry, the singer never backed down from his values and his thoughts about the current state of the music industry and America. And recently, Anthony shocked fans when he decided to step away from the music industry to focus on his dreams of a “Traveling Ministry.”
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Posting a video on YouTube, Anthony opened up about his future in music, insisting, “I’ve decided that moving forward, I don’t need a Nashville music company. I don’t even need to exist within the space of music. So I’m looking at switching my whole business over to a traveling ministry.”
Although some fans might be worried about his decision, Anthony promised to continue to release music. But unlike using the music industry to get his music out to the world, he wanted to use his ministry called The Rural Revival Project. “I want to create a routing schedule to exist parallel to Nashville that circumvents the monopolies of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. And it goes to towns that haven’t had music in a long time and it stimulates their economies.”
Oliver Anthony Shares Goal Of Traveling Ministry
Not giving away too many details about his ministry, Anthony revealed the shows would surround boosting local economies over lining his own pockets. He hoped his new ministry would have a goal of “revitalizing rural farms and communities, promoting sustainable development, and improving the quality of life for people living in rural areas.”
While Anthony loved the connection his songs had with fans, he noted on more than one occasion how he never sought the spotlight. And speaking on his connection with fans, the singer shared his secret. “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 b——-. Just some idiot and his guitar.”
As for his famous song, Anthony discussed his struggles at the time when writing “Rich Men North of Richmond” and how the words came to him while he suffered from “mental health and depression.” Wanting to help those in need, Anthony continues to defy the odds and carve his own path in music.
(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
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