Country music star Oliver Anthony announces shock career move

Country music star Oliver Anthony has announced a shock career move in a lengthy video shared on YouTube.

In the video, Anthony, 32, spoke of his discomfort during his time as part of the powerful music industry in Nashville in the United States.

He said instead, he plans to quit music and begin ministry work, following in the footsteps of his great-grandfather who was a travelling minister.

Watch the video above.

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"I've decided that moving forward, I don't need a Nashville management company," Anthony explained in the video.

"I don't even need to exist within the space of music," he continued. "So, I'm looking at switching my whole business over to a travelling ministry."

He went on to state "our system is broken" before detailing his plan.

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"I have this vision for this thing that I'm calling the Real Revival Project, and it's basically going to start as a grassroots music festival, but hopefully it grows into something that can literally change our landscape and our culture and the way we live," he said.

He said he aims to create something that exists "parallel to Nashville" that circumvents companies in the music industry he labelled "monopolies."

He added that he intends to go into towns "that haven't had music in them in a long time" so his fans are "not having to drive to Pittsburgh to some concrete amphitheatre to see a show".

Anthony said he's made enough money with his music success to "never have to work another day in my life."

"I have everything that I wanted," he said, adding that he feels his next move is a "calling" and a "voice from God that keeps putting this vision in my head of a way to make a real impact in this world, to make a real change, to help light a fire that no one really can extinguish in my lifetime or after".

Anthony continued: "I'm just somebody who thinks the whole way we live is a... backward and so stupid, and it serves nobody but the people at the top of the hierarchy that we no longer really need to serve."

"I just want to help bridge the gap between millions of people who all believe in the greater vision of us all just getting back to living a normal life," he added.

Anthony found fame a year ago with his hit song Rich Men North of Richmond. The song targets Washington, D.C. and politicians who want "control."

He experienced a meteoric rise after the song went viral online.

Anthony lives in Virginia with his wife and three children.

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