Country music sensation Oliver Anthony, who recently rose to fame with multiple hits, made a memorable appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast this week.
The musician opened up about his spiritual journey, detailing how focusing on God transformed his life.
Known by birth as Christopher Anthony Lunsford, Oliver Anthony has enjoyed the limelight lately with tracks such as “Rich Men North of Richmond,” dominating the iTunes chart, Billboard Hot 100, and various Apple Music categories, The Blaze reports.
Sharing his background with Rogan, the 31-year-old revealed he dropped out of school at 17 and slogged through demanding plant jobs in Western NC, including a stint at a paper mill in McDowell County.
An unfortunate workplace accident where he fractured his skull eventually pushed him back to his Virginia roots.
Following his recovery, Anthony juggled various blue-collar roles in the Carolinas and Virginia.
Eventually, he managed to buy some land and lived in a camper, which he claimed to have procured for $750 on Craigslist.
Anthony’s musical journey also has a dark chapter.
He spoke candidly about his struggles with depression, addiction, and alcoholism.
Describing one of his lowest points, Anthony said he had been “in a really just [expletive]-up place,” using the term judiciously to express the depth of his despair.
It was during these challenging times that he discovered solace in the Bible.
While he was familiar with it from childhood, his perception then was that the church had “a lot of theatrics and a lot of politics.”
Detailing a pivotal moment, Anthony shared, “I had been reading [the Bible] here and there, off and on… I went to the ER… I remember being in the truck after that … and I just, yeah, just had a breakdown moment. I was just crying.”
Anthony felt a profound sense of desolation, likening it to “a 4-year-old that can’t find his parents.”
In his desolation, he turned to faith, saying, “I just decided like, right then and there, I was like, ‘I can’t do this any more.’… I just told God, I was like, ‘Just let me do it.'”
Anthony recalled making a pact with God, vowing to “give all this [expletive] up” and surrender his vices, instead putting God at the center of his life.
He emphasized the importance of selflessness and serving a higher purpose, saying, “I quit worrying about me and I started worrying about what it is I’m supposed to do.”
The Bible’s teachings of being a servant have guided him away from fleeting self-gratifications, leading him to reject significant financial opportunities, including a multimillion-dollar record deal, The Blaze notes.
“I think inherently all human beings idolize something,” Anthony mused, highlighting the pitfalls of contemporary idolatry.
“It’s just about trying to … make God and the concept of what it is that He wants done on this earth my idol versus anything else,” he added, emphasizing the significance of serving the supreme power.
In a moment that left Rogan visibly impressed, Anthony recited from Proverbs 4:20:
“My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words… Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it… Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”
Responding to the profound wisdom of the scripture, Rogan remarked, “That’s pretty [expletive] profound.”
Anthony concluded by saying, “The whole book of Proverbs is like that… It’s like good guidance you would want a father to give to his son.”
Warning: Explicit language
