Rich Anthony’s latest single, “Only When It’s Dark Enough,” carries a poignant message of hope amidst adversity, inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s words about finding light in the darkness. In our conversation, Rich Anthony opens up about the personal experiences and reflections that guided him to write this powerful anthem, touching on themes of resilience and optimism. From confronting the darkness of addiction in his earlier work to embracing a cinematic, electronic sound in this track, Rich shares the emotional journey behind his music and his ongoing desire to connect with listeners through shared experiences. As an artist and a high school teacher, he’s continually inspired by the need for hope in today’s world and strives to offer that same light in his songwriting. We sat down to explore the creative process behind “Only When It’s Dark Enough” and how Rich continues to evolve both as a musician and as a person.
Read the full interview below:
Your latest single, “Only When It’s Dark Enough,” carries a powerful message of hope amidst adversity. What was the pivotal moment or experience that led you to explore this theme in your music, and why did it feel like the right time to share it with your audience?
I heard the quote during Kamala Harris’s concession speech, and it resonated with me. There has been so much going on in the world. Wars, gun violence, natural disasters, and political movements. It can sometimes feel like hope is lost.
The song title draws on Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote about finding light in the darkness. How do you personally relate to this idea, and how did it shape the tone or message you wanted to convey through the song?
I relate to the idea of finding light in the darkness because I try to see hope when life can seem hopeless. At times all I can see is the darkness, but I try to get out of that feeling. For example, before this song, I wrote a song called “It Never Ends.” It was written from the personal experience of seeing someone suffer with drug addiction. At first, the song was going to show all the darkness. In my mind, I saw a video that would go along with the song. I pictured someone in a hospital bed hooked up to a heart rate monitor, and the beating of the monitor would go along with the beat of the song. Until the end. The last lines were going to be “Don’t let it end” as the monitor flatlines. For a few days, I felt that this might be the end of the story in real life. But I knew I didn’t want to dwell on those thoughts or put that energy out into the universe. I then changed the lyrics so that each verse makes the phrase “it never ends” mean something different. The first verse is about how the addiction seems to never end. The second verse shows how my love for them will never end. The final verse is about how their strength will never end and get them through this. So far, that is how the story is going. They are doing well, and I hope that continues.
So in the song “Only When It’s Dark Enough,” I knew I wanted to leave the listener with a positive feeling as well.
This track marks a shift in your sound, embracing electronic elements and a more cinematic approach. What prompted this shift, and how did you navigate blending this new direction with your core acoustic style?
Being a lyricist, I work with various musicians. For this particular song, I sang the chorus and had someone I have been working with for years now write some music around it. His name is Brandon Harvey. At first, he came up with a guitar-based scratch track, but after listening to that for a few days, I realized that it wasn’t the sound I wanted. I asked him to write something without any guitar and make it more string-based. I sent some songs to help inspire the sound, such as Madonna’s “The Power of Goodbye.” He sent me the instrumental track, and I immediately knew that was the sound I wanted for this. For me, the lyrics help guide what I want to overall feel to be.
Your music often dives into heavy themes like addiction and recovery. When you write about such personal struggles, do you find it cathartic, or do you approach it more as a way to connect with others who may relate to your experiences?
I’m actually not sure. I self-reflected on this earlier and can’t come up with an answer. While writing “It Never Ends,” I could only work on it for maybe 30 minutes or sometimes only 10 minutes before I would be emotionally drained and needed a break. During one of these breaks, I was teary-eyed, and a friend noticed that and asked me why. I told him that I was writing the most difficult song I’ve written. I explained how hard it was to think about. He then asked, “Why are you writing it then?” and I couldn’t think of an answer. It was just a strong desire to get whatever I was going through made into a song. It might be for several reasons combined. I do feel that music can help me heal and think through things, but I also hope others can relate, and maybe it will help them through it. For this particular song, I wanted to finish it so I could play it for the person it was written for personally with the hope it might help them stay sober.
You balance teaching with being a musician, which is a unique combination. How do the skills or perspectives you bring from the classroom influence your songwriting, and do you find any surprising connections between the two fields?
Teaching high school all these years helped me see what’s important to teens. In ways, it has never changed, like wanting to belong. But some things like technology have changed. I grew up without a cell phone. They seem to need them. So one of my last songs, “IF,” starts out with the line “You wake up, can’t find your phone,” to show how their day was going wrong. If I didn’t work with teens, I’m not certain I would have thought of that line to start a song. Songwriting is personal, but I also want people to relate to it, so teaching teens might help me create songs that are more relatable.
Hope and resilience are central to “Only When It’s Dark Enough.” In your view, how does music help provide comfort and healing during tough times? Do you think music can offer the same healing to the artist creating it as it does for the listeners?
That’s a good question. The short answer is yes. There are times I go back and listen to a certain song of mine just to get the positive feeling I had while writing it.
When listeners hear “Only When It’s Dark Enough,” what do you most hope they take away from it? Is there a particular emotional response or insight you hope to evoke through the song?
I hope the listener believes in the words. There are always those who want the best for the world, and if you look, you will see them. The bridge is my favorite part. “We can dwell on all the darkness or fight for what is right. Till the darkness is no longer and all we see is light.”. Of course, there will always be darkness, but if you choose to see the good things and not focus on the bad, then the good will be all you see. It’s a great image to me. I know in reality we should be aware of both and not live in ignorance. But if all we focus on is the negative, it overshadows all the good in the world.
Looking forward, how do you see your music evolving? Are there new themes, genres, or collaborations you’re eager to explore as you continue to grow as an artist?
I plan to release some songs from my M.T. project that got put on hold when I was dealing with someone I was close to having problems with drug addiction. Since then I was inspired by Halloween (I think I needed to write about something not so serious because the songs before that were emotionally difficult to write), and then someone wrote a local Christmas play and asked if I could write a song based on the title of the play “My Kind of Christmas,” and then I felt as if others felt hope was leaving, and I wanted to expand on Martin Luther King Jr.’s words and make it into a hopeful song. So by this summer, I will release at least one song to continue what I stopped before all this. M.T.
Rich Anthony’s “Only When It’s Dark Enough” is a powerful reminder that even in our darkest moments, hope is always within reach. As he continues to evolve as both an artist and a storyteller, his music remains a beacon of light for anyone navigating life’s challenges. We can’t wait to see where his journey takes him next.
