Nation singer Oliver Anthony has made US chart historical past together with his latest controversial single ‘Wealthy Males North Of Richmond’.
Launched on August 8, the track has since hit Quantity One on the iTunes Nation Charts, soared to the highest spot on Apple Music’s World Music Charts, and racked up over 32million views on YouTube.
The observe has now debuted at Quantity One on the Billboard Scorching 100 chart, making Anthony – a former manufacturing unit employee and farmer – the primary artist to take action with none prior chart historical past (by way of Billboard).
Anthony (actual title is Christopher Anthony Lunsford) is simply the sixth individual in Billboard historical past to debut a primary solo Scorching 100 entry at Quantity One, following within the footsteps of Zayn, Baauer, Carrie Underwood, Fantasia and Clay Aiken.
Along with this feat, Anthony has marked a uncommon look for an unsigned act at Quantity One on the Scorching 100 having self-released ‘Wealthy Males…’.
“The hopelessness and frustration of our instances resonate within the response to this track,” he informed Billboard after reaching the highest of the Scorching 100. “The track itself just isn’t something particular, however the individuals who have supported it are unbelievable and should be heard.”
Upon its launch, ‘Wealthy Males…’ was praised by numerous right-wing media figures together with Dan Bongino and Matt Walsh. Republication consultant Marjorie Taylor Greene, in the meantime, described it as “the anthem of the forgotten People who really assist this nation and sadly the world”.
However different individuals have criticised the only for being “fatphobic” and labelled it a “right-wing anthem”.
Regardless of highlighting societal points comparable to homelessness within the US and the nation’s psychological well being disaster, the track sees Anthony punch down on the “overweight milkin’ welfare“. He sings that “if you happen to’re 5-foot-3 and also you’re 300 kilos/ Taxes ought to not pay in your luggage of fudge rounds“.
‘Wealthy Males…’ might partially be interpreted as a working-class anthem, as Anthony mentions “sellin’ my soul” for “bullshit pay“, and lambasts politicians and the “wealthy males north of Richmond” who “simply wanna have whole management“.
Nonetheless, he takes an anti-taxes stance too. “‘Trigger your greenback ain’t shit, and it’s taxed to no finish,” he sings elsewhere.
In accordance with Luminate, ‘Wealthy Males…’ registered 17.5million streams and offered 147,000 downloads within the monitoring week ending August 17. Moreover, the tune acquired 553,000 radio airplay viewers impressions, nearly all of which have been on nation stations.
The track is the primary solo-written Quantity One on the Scorching 100 since Glass Animals’ ‘Warmth Waves’, which was written by the Oxford band’s frontman Dave Bayley.
Additionally it is the primary track by a solo male to start out atop each the Scorching 100 and Scorching Nation Songs on the identical time. It’s the second general, after Taylor Swift’s ‘All Too Nicely (Taylor’s Model)’ opened at Quantity One on each charts in late 2021.
No phrases… Thanks. pic.twitter.com/UUFVfJQdab
— Oliver Anthony (@AintGottaDollar) August 13, 2023
Anthony held his debut public live performance in Currituck, North Carolina earlier this month off the again of the latest hype. “No phrases… Thanks,” he wrote, captioning footage of the efficiency and what seemed to be a packed-out crowd.
In a press release on social media (by way of the Guardian), Anthony stated he wasn’t speeding into signing a report deal simply but.
“Folks within the music business give me clean stares after I brush off eight million greenback affords,” he defined. “I don’t need six tour buses, 15 tractor trailers and a jet. I don’t need to play stadium exhibits, I don’t need to be within the highlight.
“I wrote the music I wrote as a result of I used to be struggling with psychological well being and melancholy. These songs have related with tens of millions of individuals on such a deep stage as a result of they’re being sung by somebody feeling the phrases within the very second they have been being sung.”
Anthony continued: “No modifying, no agent, no bullshit. Just a few fool and his guitar. The type of music that we should always have by no means gotten away from within the first place.”
Draven Riffe – Anthony’s co-manager, and the only producer of ‘Wealthy Males North Of Richmond’ – stated “there was not an entire lot of planning concerned” forward of releasing the track.
“We simply knew if we acquired the video on the market, individuals have been going to like the track and it might resonate with a variety of people,” he added.
