Why I want to quit music industry for traveling ministry, by Rich Men North of Richmond country star Oliver Anthony

Two-time Billboard Music Award nominee Oliver Anthony is retiring from his career as a successful musician.

The Rich Men North of Richmond star, 32, took his Instagram comments to reveal he is ‘in the process of quitting the music industry’ because ‘it’s a big joke’ after being praised for his musical talents.

In late October, a fan took his comment to heart to rhapsodize The Rich Men North of Richmond star’s discography, calling him “everything that’s good in the music industry.”

And the singer responded with the shocking claim that he had his sights set on “traveling ministry work” as he worked through the logistics of leaving the industry.

“It’s all part of this Rural Revival thing. I just have to do it in small steps because it’s completely DIY,” he told the devoted fan.

‘Does that mean no more music from you? You have such authentic talent,” another user asked under the message thread.

Anthony – born Christopher Anthony Lunsford – said: ‘No, I’ll still release music as normal, I’ll just be legally incorporated as a ministry.’

On Monday, the Ain’t Gotta Dollar hitmaker went to his Instagram page to announce that he was heading to Australia in March 2025 for a series of shows.

He will be playing at various venues in Brisbane, Cairns, Newcastle, Sydney and Melbourne from March 7 to 16.

Tickets go on sale on Friday, November 15 at 11 a.m. local time.

“I’m bringing my music down, and I’d like you to be there. Tickets go on sale this Friday, November 15 at 11 a.m. local time. Set those reminders and let me know in the comments where you’re competing,” he said under the announcement post.

Just days before saying he was “retiring from the music industry,” the singer announced he would be traveling around Europe from January to February.

His series of shows begins on January 30 in Oslo, Norway and ends on February 24 in Dublin, Ireland.

And the guitarist added a lengthy message to his fans about the order of his tour and the common goals he sees between his fans and himself.

‘The 2025 European tour is just around the corner! I chose to do Europe, Australia and then the US for a specific reason. Until I visited Europe and Australia on this year’s tour, I had no idea how similar we all lived. I assumed we were completely different. It’s nothing like on television.

‘The fact is that many of the countryside and small towns in Europe remind me of earlier times in North America. Yet both our homelands are very much lost,” he wrote.

He took to his Instagram comments to reveal that he’s ‘in the process of quitting the music industry’ because ‘it’s a big joke’

‘Does that mean no more music from you? You have such authentic talent,” another user asked under the message thread

He said, ‘No, I’m still releasing music like normal, I’m just being legally incorporated as a ministry’

On Monday, the Ain’t Gotta Dollar hitmaker took to his Instagram page to announce he was heading to Australia in March 2025 for a series of shows.

Just days before saying he was “retiring from the music industry,” the singer announced he would be traveling around Europe from January to February

The guitarist added a lengthy message to his fans about the order of his tour and the common goals he sees between his fans and himself

His first run of shows kicks off on January 30 in Oslo, Norway and ends on February 24 in Dublin, Ireland

He ended with, “We all share many of the same common goals. It’s time we figure out how to network and connect. I have a dream of the Scots and Irish visiting the now empty and ignored parts of Appalachia where they once settled.

‘Or people living in England, tired of oppression and looking for their rights and more space, settling on abandoned American farms that so desperately deserve a second chance.

“Times are changing and we must unite if we want to survive this mess. The whole world now feels like it’s teetering on an edge,” he said.