Oliver Anthony Has Turned Down At Least One $8 Million Offer From Major Record Label

Virginia-based factory worker turned country singer Oliver Anthony announced that he has turned down at least one offer from a major record label as his popularity continues to explode.

Anthony’s “Rich Men North Of Richmond” — a simple yet passionate song that slams the D.C.-based political establishment on behalf of working-class Americans — has soared to the top of top streaming charts after going viral earlier this month. “These rich men north of Richmond / Lord knows they all just want to have total control / Wanna know what you think / Wanna know what you do / And they don’t think you know, but I know that you do,” the lyrics read. “Cause your dollar ain’t s***, and it’s taxed to no end / ‘Cause of rich men north of Richmond.”

The song has remained atop the iTunes chart for more than a week debuted at number two on Spotify’s most-streamed songs across all genres, beating out major artists such as Taylor Swift, Gunna and Luke Combs.

Anthony took to Facebook on Thursday to thank fans for the outpouring of support. He also spoke about his motivations, struggles, condemned the widespread polarization plaguing the nation at present, and revealed that he has turned down major offers because he does not want to be controlled. “I’m sitting in such a weird place in my life right now,” Anthony wrote. “I never wanted to be a full time musician, much less sit at the top of the iTunes charts.”

“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,” he continued. “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,” the Farmville native added.

The songwriter — who has been the target of several smear campaigns tying him to “white supremacy” and “Q Anon” — expressed disappointment over “the way the Internet has divided all of us.”

“The Internet is a parasite, that infects the minds of humans and has their way with them. Hours wasted, goals forgotten, loved ones sitting in houses with each other distracted all day by technology made by the hands of other poor souls in sweat shops in a foreign land,” he continued.

He also touched on America’s decline. “I have spent many nights feeling hopeless, that the greatest country on Earth is quickly fading away,” Anthony wrote.

Oliver Anthony currently has four songs charting in the iTunes top 10 as of this report.