Oliver Anthony says American workers are tired of being 'neglected, divided and manipulated,' reveals he's turned down millions in music industry offers

Virginia country singer and rising star Oliver Anthony spoke out about becoming an overnight national sensation, sharing his life story that turned him into the man that he is today.

Anthony, who touched the souls of Americans through last week's release of his viral hit song "Rich Men North of Richmond," wrote about his struggles with mental health and addiction, and encouraged Americans not to lose sight of God during "divisive" times in the nation.

"It's been difficult as I browse through the 50,000+ messages and emails I've received in the last week. The stories that have been shared paint a brutally honest picture. Suicide, addiction, unemployment, anxiety and depression, hopelessness and the list goes on," Anthony wrote on Facebook. "I'm sitting in such a weird place in my life right now. I never wanted to be a full time musician, much less sit at the top of the iTunes charts. Draven from RadioWv and I filmed these tunes on my land with the hope that it may hit 300k views. I still don't quite believe what has went on since we uploaded that. It's just strange to me."

He continued, "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."

Anthony explained that he wrote the music because of his struggles with mental health and depression and said that his 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 bullshit," he wrote. "Just some idiot and his guitar. The style of music that we should have never gotten away from in the first place."

The country singer announced that his legal name is not actually Oliver Anthony, but rather Christopher Anthony Lunsford. He said that his stage name is in dedication to his grandfather, Oliver Anthony, who was born and raised in Appalachia in a house that consisted of dirt floors, seven kids, and hard times.

"In 2010, I dropped out of high school at age 17," he continued. "I have a GED from Spruce Pine, NC. I worked multiple plant jobs in Western NC, my last being at the paper mill in McDowell county. I worked 3rd shift, 6 days a week for $14.50 an hour in a living hell. In 2013, I had a bad fall at work and fractured my skull. It forced me to move back home to Virginia. Due to complications from the injury, it took me 6 months or so before I could work again."

"From 2014 until just a few days ago, I've worked outside sales in the industrial manufacturing world. My job has taken me all over Virginia and into the Carolinas, getting to know tens of thousands of other blue collar workers on job sites and in factories. Ive spent all day, everyday, for the last 10 years hearing the same story," the singer said. "People are SO damn tired of being neglected, divided and manipulated."

Despite being offered multi-million record deals, which he currently has no interest in signing, the singer and songwriter wrote that he lives in "a 27' camper with a tarp on the roof that I got off of craigslist for $750."

"There's nothing special about me. I'm not a good musician, I'm not a very good person," Anthony wrote. "I've spent the last 5 years struggling with mental health and using alcohol to drown it. I am sad to see the world in the state it's in, with everyone fighting with each other. I have spent many nights feeling hopeless, that the greatest country on Earth is quickly fading away."

Anthony went on to discuss the current trajectory of the United States, and informed his supporters to stop allowing "false idols distract and divide us."

"That being said, I HATE 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 wrote.

"When is enough, enough? When are we going to fight for what is right again? MILLIONS have died protecting the liberties we have. Freedom of speech is such a precious gift. Never in world history has the world had the freedom it currently does. Don't let them take it away from you.
Just like those once wandering in the desert, we have lost our way from God and have let false idols distract us and divide us. It's a damn shame," Anthony concluded.

On Sunday, the country singer drew a massive crowd for a musical performance at the Morris Farm Market in which Anthony opened by reading a passage from the Bible.

"It’s crazy to me because I remember back in June, I played here for about 20 people," Oliver said to enthusiastic fans as he read from the Lord's book after opening the page to Psalm 37.

His viral song, Rich Men North of Richmond, which became the #1 song on US iTunes charts, centers around a theme of the struggling working-class American being pushed around by the political class living in and around Washington, D.C. In addition to becoming the #1 song in the US, his music video has amassed more than 25 millions of views on Twitter, and millions more across all social media platforms.