2023 Review: The rise of Oliver Anthony

Country musician Oliver Anthony became an overnight sensation in 2023 thanks to a viral song in which he blasts the federal government for not working in the best interest of the public.

Anthony, who lives in Farmville, Virginia, released “Rich Men North of Richmond” on YouTube to the reception of over 1.5 million views and over 125,000 likes within the first three days. As of this writing, it has over 101 million views and over 2.3 million likes. On Instagram, he has over 1.8 million followers, while he previously had less than 10,000.

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Anthony’s personal politics are not made clear in the song. His recording, inspired by Hank Williams, was made in an outdoor setting surrounded by his three dogs. He performed the song while strumming on a guitar with an aluminum resonator cone. Anthony’s hometown of Farmville is part of Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, which has been represented by Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) since 2020.

“There was one line in Rich Men North of Richmond that a lot of people overlooked. I figured when I wrote the song, that the island line would be the one that was controversial, not the fudge rounds,” Anthony would later write about his hit song on Instagram. “But what do I know.”

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The song would go on to get airtime during the first Republican debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Anthony responded to the attention by laughing and claiming he “wrote that song about those people.” When media outlets implied that Anthony is a supporter of President Joe Biden, he clarified that he is actually against “corporate owned DC politicians on both sides.”

While Anthony allegedly rejected $8 million contract offers, he began touring the country this year. Eventually, he announced an international tour for 2024 beginning in February and ending in September. The beginning of the tour will take him through Europe and then the United States, with one stop in Australia.