Rising country music star Oliver Anthony has dismissed claims online that Democrats are not buying his music.
Anthony, whose given name is Christopher Anthony Lunsford, rose to viral fame earlier this month when podcaster Joe Rogan endorsed his song “Rich Men North of Richmond.” The song has raised controversy for its lyrics, but also won praise from conservatives for criticizing welfare cheats and taxation, as well as making references to Jeffrey Epstein and QAnon.
He has also gained celebrity fans in conservative political columnist Matt Walsh, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
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He took to Instagram to correct a statement he had made about President Joe Biden, which some took to mean he was a supporter of the Democrat.
“This will be my last post about politics on social media. I apologize for beating a dead horse, but I just need to address this quote in my video earlier, since it’s been misquoted/misinterpreted this evening,” Anthony wrote.
“Corporate news (big surprise) is now trying to twist me into being a Biden supporter,” he continued, with a laughing emoji.
“‘That song has nothing to do with Joe Biden, it’s a lot bigger than Joe Biden, [it] is referencing DeSantis’ response to my song. He talks about [the] need to get Joe Biden out, as if that would automatically solve all the problems. Biden is a big part of the issue, but it runs much deeper.”
Anthony added that his song is about “corporate-owned D.C. politicians on both sides. Though Biden’s most certainly a problem, the lyrics aren’t exclusively knocking Biden, it’s bigger and broader than that.
“It’s knocking the system collectively, including the corporate-owned conservatives onstage that night. Goodnight everyone. Thanks again.”
However, in the comments, one fan accused him of “knocking conservatives,” claiming, “they are the ones buying your music because I guarantee no Democrat is.”
Anthony clapped back and said he was actually taking aim at “corporate politicians, not conservatives.”
He added: “Big difference.”
Anthony recently appeared on Rogan’s podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, where he talked about the conspiracy theories about him circulating online. He said he was glad to provide amusement and discussion for thousands of people.
“I’ve waited for this opportunity to have a real conversation with somebody about whatever it is I am,” he explained and added that many people who are trying to learn more about it him get led to fake assumptions about him online.
“They want to sort of build this image of whatever it is that the person behind the song represents, for better or for worse.”
Anthony added: “It’s really funny to watch on my end because, obviously, I know what’s true and what’s not. But you know, there’s been hundreds of hours of people’s time wasted, probably, talking about all these little things that don’t even exist. Just somebody made them up and put them on the internet.”
He told Rogan, “I’m just letting them ride,” but thought it was positive that since his overnight success he has “been able to entertain everyone and get everyone’s mind off all the all the other horrible stuff that’s going on in the world right now.”
“At least everybody can have a good laugh, you know.”
