Oliver Tree

Oliver Tree Nickell was born on June 29, 1993, in Santa Cruz, California. His career in music began in 2010 under the moniker “Tree,” where he initially self-released his album “Splitting Branches” in early 2013. During this period, he also gained early experience performing as a singer and guitarist in a ska band named Irony. Tree was active in the electronic music scene, producing dubstep and performing at festivals like Wobbleland 2011 in San Francisco. In August 2013, he signed with London-based R&S Records and released his debut EP, “Demons.” This EP attracted attention when Radiohead’s lead singer, Thom Yorke, endorsed Tree’s cover of “Karma Police.” Following this, Tree took a hiatus to pursue further education, studying music technology at the California Institute of the Arts.

Tree returned to music in March 2016, featuring on Getter’s song “Forget It” and making his television debut performing with Getter on “Last Call with Carson Daly.” His career gained significant momentum following the release of “When I’m Down” with Whethan in October 2016, which led to his signing with Atlantic Records. After graduating from the California Institute of the Arts, Tree released his debut singles “Welcome to LA” and “All I Got” in May 2017. February 2018 marked the release of his major-label debut EP, “Alien Boy,” accompanied by a double music video for “All That x Alien Boy.” Tree extensively wrote and directed the video, performing his own freestyle monster truck stunts after five months of practice at the Perris Auto Speedway. He has performed at major festivals including Lollapalooza and Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, and was featured on LA Weekly’s “The Best (and Weirdest) Fashion at Coachella” list in 2017 after his special guest performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. He supported tours for Louis the Child in 2017 and Skizzy Mars in 2018, and also toured North America and Europe with Hobo Johnson in 2018.

Throughout 2018 and 2019, Oliver Tree released several singles such as “Hurt,” “Fuck,” and “Miracle Man,” all of which contributed to his debut album, “Ugly Is Beautiful.” The album’s release was initially planned for March 2020 but was delayed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social justice issues, eventually releasing on July 17, 2020. The deluxe version, “Ugly Is Beautiful: Shorter, Thicker & Uglier,” released on May 28, 2021, featured the popular song “Life Goes On.” Tree collaborated with Russian rave band Little Big and Estonian rapper Tommy Cash on the EP “Welcome to the Internet” in September 2021. His second studio album, “Cowboy Tears,” was released on February 18, 2022, preceded by singles “Cowboys Don’t Cry” and “Freaks & Geeks.” The album was followed by a deluxe version, “Cowboy Tears: Drown the World in a Swimming Pool of Sorrow,” in December 2022. “Miss You,” a collaboration with Robin Schulz, released in August 2022, gained international recognition. In 2023, he released his third studio album, “Alone in a Crowd,” on September 29, and embarked on a world tour from October 2023 to February 2024, touring with artists such as Sueco, Tommy Cash, and Fidlar.