Oliver Tree
Music Style
electronichip hopindie poppopelectropop
About Oliver Tree
OIiver Tree Nickell (June 29, 1993 - June 14, 2026) was an American vocalist, producer, and filmmaker from Santa Cruz, California. At the height of his success in the 2020s, he was known for his satirical online presence under the guise of the 'Turbo' character.
At the age of 17, Oliver was an active dubstep DJ in the Santa Cruz area under the alias Kryph, later being known as Tree. He independently released his debut album Splitting Branches under the San Francisco based collective Tree Collaborations on February 17th, 2013. He would later sign to R&S Records, releasing the Demons EP in August the same year. The EP featured a cover of Radiohead's Karma Police, which gained the approval of frontman Thom Yorke. The project later went on hiatus, with Tree going on to study music technology at the California Institute of the Arts.
In March 2016, Tree returned to music and featured on the track Forget It by Getter. He appeared in the music video with the bowl-cut that'd later become a trademark of his scooter-loving 'Turbo' persona. In October that same year, he would feature on When I'm Down by Whethan, signing with Atlantic Records shortly after its release.
After graduating in May 2017, he released his first pair of singles as Oliver Tree for Atlantic, Welcome to LA and All I Got. Tree would confirm in interviews that the singles were intended for his debut album initially titled Turbo. In February 2018, Tree released his major-label debut EP Alien Boy, along with the double music video for “All That x Alien Boy.” Tree wrote and directed the debut, which took over nine months to create. He spent five months practicing freestyle Monster Truck jumping at the Perris Auto Speedway and performed all his stunts in the music video.
On December 7, 2018, Tree released 'Hurt' to significant acclaim, spending 26 weeks on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart. He traveled to Ukraine to film the music video, which he wrote and co-directed with Brendan Vaughan, an up-and-coming music video director. The video reached one million views within the first week, with the single going on to be certified Platinum by RIAA. He would release a string of singles throughout 2019, before releasing the Do You Feel Me? EP in August, embarking on the 'Goodbye, Farewell' tour in September, beginning his streak of jokingly claiming each tour to be his last.
Tree's long-anticipated debut album Ugly Is Beautiful was announced in December 2019 with the release of the accompanying single Cash Machine. While initially slated for a release on March 25th, 2020, the album would undergo numerous delays. Tree would initially state that the album was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, satirically stating that he wishes to release the album within 5-10 years. In May as part of a satirical marketing stunt, Tree claimed that he was kidnapped and could only be freed to release the album if he gained 1 million likes on an Instagram post. The album was delayed a second time in June 2020 due to the ongoing protests surrounding the murder of George Floyd.
Ugly is Beautiful was finally released on July 17th, 2020, debuting at number 1 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart and 14 on the Billboard 200. The album featured the debut of Little Ricky ZR3, an "alien from Zeta Reticuli" that is highly speculated to be an alias of Tree. A mixtape was announced under the alias, but was never released. In an interview with Anthony Fantano, Tree stated that Ugly is Beautiful would be his last album, citing label difficulties and his desire to pursue filmmaking. Despite this, Tree would announce the deluxe version of Ugly is Beautiful in February 2021 with the release of Out of Ordinary.
Ugly Is Beautiful: Shorter, Thicker & Uglier was released on May 28th, 2021, with a supporting music video for Life Goes On. The track would go on to be one of his most well-known singles, peaking at 7 on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart and being certified Platinum by RIAA. As of 2026, the track has amassed 789 million streams on Spotify. Tree would also release a collaborative EP with Russian rave band Little Big on September 30th, Welcome to the Internet.
In June 2021, Tree announced that he'd "come out of retirement to record one more album called Cowboy Tears." He announced an accompanying tour in October, once again stating that it would be his last. The album's lead single Cowboys Don't Cry was released in January 2022. Cowboy Tears was released on February 18, 2022, featuring a pop-country aesthetic in contrast to his previous work and a new persona named Shawney Bravo.
In May 2022, German DJ Southstar released a remix of Tree's track Jerk titled Miss You. It was re-released as a single via Sony Music in July with re-recorded vocals, as the original used Tree's without permission. The re-released version had the publishing rights cleared by the three authors of the original track, including Tree. It would ultimately peak at 11 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic charts. In collaboration with Robin Schulz, Tree would release a remix of the track with the same title, sparking controversy and allegations of plagiarism. Sony Music would release a statement claiming that Schulz's version "was identified as a 1:1 direct copy of Southstar’s under the same name, same sample and same production." Atlantic Records would later respond stating that "Oliver Tree and Robin Schulz’s version of ‘Miss You’ is the definitive version of the song that uses both the recording and underlying composition from Oliver Tree’s original track 'Jerk'", accusing Southstar of re-recording his version to avoid compensating Tree.
Despite this, it would come to be known as one of Tree's most popular songs, peaking at 4 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic charts and amassing 844 million streams on Spotify as of 2026. Cowboy Tears Drown the World in a Swimming Pool of Sorrow, the deluxe version of Cowboy Tears, was released on December 23rd, 2022.
After releasing two collaborative singles, Here We Go Again with David Guetta and Voices with KSI in early 2023, Tree announced his third studio album Alone in a Crowd with Bounce as its lead single in June. It featured a new accompanying persona named Cornelius Cummings.The album would release on September 29th, 2023 and featured Miss You as a bonus track, it reached number 18 on the Billboard Top Alternative Albums chart and would ultimately be his last release for Atlantic Records. He embarked on an accompanying world tour from October 2023 to February 2024.
On October 10th, 2025, Tree would announce his fourth studio album Love You Madly Hate You Badly alongside the release of lead single Superhero, his first new material in two years. In April 2026, Tree announced that he would be parting ways with Atlantic Records and that the album would be released via his own imprint, Alien Boy Records. The album released on April 24th, 2026, with an accompanying "World's First World Tour" announced just over a week later. The tour commenced on May 30th, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico and was set to conclude on October 25th in Beijing, China. Tree would play his last show on June 6th, 2026 at the Studio Stage in São Paulo, Brazil.
On June 14th, 2026, Tree passed away in a helicopter crash over the Southwest of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the age of 32. Two helicopters collided and both crashed into an electric vehicle yard, causing a massive fire. Tree and five others passed away in the crash. The 'Dr. Oliver Tree's Extremely Epic Art Grant For Baby Geniuses' foundation was established in his memory on June 27th. He was buried at the Evergreen Cemetery in Santa Cruz, California on July 24th, with a public celebration of life event being held and livestreamed the next day. The service featured three caskets for each of Tree's characters, alongside speeches from friends and family. Figures such as Logan Paul, Ethan Klein and Diplo also spoke at the event. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
At the age of 17, Oliver was an active dubstep DJ in the Santa Cruz area under the alias Kryph, later being known as Tree. He independently released his debut album Splitting Branches under the San Francisco based collective Tree Collaborations on February 17th, 2013. He would later sign to R&S Records, releasing the Demons EP in August the same year. The EP featured a cover of Radiohead's Karma Police, which gained the approval of frontman Thom Yorke. The project later went on hiatus, with Tree going on to study music technology at the California Institute of the Arts.
In March 2016, Tree returned to music and featured on the track Forget It by Getter. He appeared in the music video with the bowl-cut that'd later become a trademark of his scooter-loving 'Turbo' persona. In October that same year, he would feature on When I'm Down by Whethan, signing with Atlantic Records shortly after its release.
After graduating in May 2017, he released his first pair of singles as Oliver Tree for Atlantic, Welcome to LA and All I Got. Tree would confirm in interviews that the singles were intended for his debut album initially titled Turbo. In February 2018, Tree released his major-label debut EP Alien Boy, along with the double music video for “All That x Alien Boy.” Tree wrote and directed the debut, which took over nine months to create. He spent five months practicing freestyle Monster Truck jumping at the Perris Auto Speedway and performed all his stunts in the music video.
On December 7, 2018, Tree released 'Hurt' to significant acclaim, spending 26 weeks on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart. He traveled to Ukraine to film the music video, which he wrote and co-directed with Brendan Vaughan, an up-and-coming music video director. The video reached one million views within the first week, with the single going on to be certified Platinum by RIAA. He would release a string of singles throughout 2019, before releasing the Do You Feel Me? EP in August, embarking on the 'Goodbye, Farewell' tour in September, beginning his streak of jokingly claiming each tour to be his last.
Tree's long-anticipated debut album Ugly Is Beautiful was announced in December 2019 with the release of the accompanying single Cash Machine. While initially slated for a release on March 25th, 2020, the album would undergo numerous delays. Tree would initially state that the album was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, satirically stating that he wishes to release the album within 5-10 years. In May as part of a satirical marketing stunt, Tree claimed that he was kidnapped and could only be freed to release the album if he gained 1 million likes on an Instagram post. The album was delayed a second time in June 2020 due to the ongoing protests surrounding the murder of George Floyd.
Ugly is Beautiful was finally released on July 17th, 2020, debuting at number 1 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart and 14 on the Billboard 200. The album featured the debut of Little Ricky ZR3, an "alien from Zeta Reticuli" that is highly speculated to be an alias of Tree. A mixtape was announced under the alias, but was never released. In an interview with Anthony Fantano, Tree stated that Ugly is Beautiful would be his last album, citing label difficulties and his desire to pursue filmmaking. Despite this, Tree would announce the deluxe version of Ugly is Beautiful in February 2021 with the release of Out of Ordinary.
Ugly Is Beautiful: Shorter, Thicker & Uglier was released on May 28th, 2021, with a supporting music video for Life Goes On. The track would go on to be one of his most well-known singles, peaking at 7 on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart and being certified Platinum by RIAA. As of 2026, the track has amassed 789 million streams on Spotify. Tree would also release a collaborative EP with Russian rave band Little Big on September 30th, Welcome to the Internet.
In June 2021, Tree announced that he'd "come out of retirement to record one more album called Cowboy Tears." He announced an accompanying tour in October, once again stating that it would be his last. The album's lead single Cowboys Don't Cry was released in January 2022. Cowboy Tears was released on February 18, 2022, featuring a pop-country aesthetic in contrast to his previous work and a new persona named Shawney Bravo.
In May 2022, German DJ Southstar released a remix of Tree's track Jerk titled Miss You. It was re-released as a single via Sony Music in July with re-recorded vocals, as the original used Tree's without permission. The re-released version had the publishing rights cleared by the three authors of the original track, including Tree. It would ultimately peak at 11 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic charts. In collaboration with Robin Schulz, Tree would release a remix of the track with the same title, sparking controversy and allegations of plagiarism. Sony Music would release a statement claiming that Schulz's version "was identified as a 1:1 direct copy of Southstar’s under the same name, same sample and same production." Atlantic Records would later respond stating that "Oliver Tree and Robin Schulz’s version of ‘Miss You’ is the definitive version of the song that uses both the recording and underlying composition from Oliver Tree’s original track 'Jerk'", accusing Southstar of re-recording his version to avoid compensating Tree.
Despite this, it would come to be known as one of Tree's most popular songs, peaking at 4 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic charts and amassing 844 million streams on Spotify as of 2026. Cowboy Tears Drown the World in a Swimming Pool of Sorrow, the deluxe version of Cowboy Tears, was released on December 23rd, 2022.
After releasing two collaborative singles, Here We Go Again with David Guetta and Voices with KSI in early 2023, Tree announced his third studio album Alone in a Crowd with Bounce as its lead single in June. It featured a new accompanying persona named Cornelius Cummings.The album would release on September 29th, 2023 and featured Miss You as a bonus track, it reached number 18 on the Billboard Top Alternative Albums chart and would ultimately be his last release for Atlantic Records. He embarked on an accompanying world tour from October 2023 to February 2024.
On October 10th, 2025, Tree would announce his fourth studio album Love You Madly Hate You Badly alongside the release of lead single Superhero, his first new material in two years. In April 2026, Tree announced that he would be parting ways with Atlantic Records and that the album would be released via his own imprint, Alien Boy Records. The album released on April 24th, 2026, with an accompanying "World's First World Tour" announced just over a week later. The tour commenced on May 30th, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico and was set to conclude on October 25th in Beijing, China. Tree would play his last show on June 6th, 2026 at the Studio Stage in São Paulo, Brazil.
On June 14th, 2026, Tree passed away in a helicopter crash over the Southwest of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the age of 32. Two helicopters collided and both crashed into an electric vehicle yard, causing a massive fire. Tree and five others passed away in the crash. The 'Dr. Oliver Tree's Extremely Epic Art Grant For Baby Geniuses' foundation was established in his memory on June 27th. He was buried at the Evergreen Cemetery in Santa Cruz, California on July 24th, with a public celebration of life event being held and livestreamed the next day. The service featured three caskets for each of Tree's characters, alongside speeches from friends and family. Figures such as Logan Paul, Ethan Klein and Diplo also spoke at the event. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.