In a new interview, rising star Oliver Anthony said he thought he might die last year from his body shutting down from years of stress and hoped his music would last beyond him. He said that years of depression and anxiety contributed to constant brain fog and chest pains that left him scared for his life.

Now, after the viral sensation “Rich Men North of Richmond” and the discovery of his other music, he’s soared to the top of the charts, becoming an icon for the working class that feels left behind and beaten down by Washington politicians. He told The Free Press, “I was feeling like my body was starting to fall apart, and it got to a point where I was questioning how much longer I’d be able to be around and sing these songs and do this stuff, so I was like, ‘Well, let me just go ahead and start getting everything uploaded, so at least if, God forbid, I die of a heart attack in my thirties, there’s some legacy there.”

Anthony’s song, viewed over 45 million times on YouTube alone, laments working-class ills like being unable to get ahead, greedy politicians, substance abuse, and the suicide epidemic. The song has become a sensation, prompting emotional response videos, testimonials from all walks of life, and an influx of media coverage analyzing why his song has touched on blue-collar life in a meaningful way.

As a result, Anthony’s other music has been discovered and become popular. He’s been open about past drug and alcohol use and credited his turn to faith for helping him turn his life around. The 31-year-old farmer said he started drinking and using marijuana in his 20s, and it was challenging to embrace his Christian faith because he linked religion with the politicians he describes as hypocrites. Now, he prays before recording songs and opened a concert with a reading from the book of Psalms.

He said, “I was obviously introduced to the concept of God and religion as a kid, and I think I was turned off to it growing up. The reason I was always so reluctant to accept God as God is because it meant I had to accept all those people that I didn’t quite agree with as being correct—you know, I falsely associated man-made religion and some of the things that go along with it with the concept of Jesus Christ and God in general.”

During a recent interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, Anthony shared a passage from Proverbs 4:20-27 that he said changed his life. He said, “And I’ll be very brief with this, I promise, but ironically, it’s Proverbs 4:20, which I thought you would like, ‘My son, pay attention to what I say, turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight. Keep them within your heart, for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.”

He continued reading, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free from perversity, keep corrupt talk from your lips, let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you, give careful thoughts to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.'” In response, Rogan said, “That’s pretty f—ing profound.” Anthony described Proverbs as “not preachy” but “good guidance that you would want a father to give his son.”

Anthony’s rise to fame is linked to the public seeing him as a genuine voice of the working class. His acoustic version of “Rich Men” was filmed on his Virginia farm and featured him and his resonator guitar. He wasn’t interested in lucrative music industry deals and wanted to connect people. He also discussed his past employment, including a “living hell” at a paper mill in North Carolina and once fractured his skull in 2013, forcing him to move back to Virginia. He lives on farmland inside a 27-foot camper with a tarp on the roof.

Anthony, whose real name is Christopher Lunsford and whose stage name is a namesake tribute to his grandfather, is married with two children, with another on the way.