It’s hard to wrap your head around. Oliver Tree is gone. The eccentric singer and producer behind viral hits like “Alien Boy” and “Life Goes On” has died at just 32 years old following a helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro. According to reporting from the Associated Press, Rio de Janeiro police confirmed that Tree was one of six people killed when two helicopters collided mid-air over the Brazilian city. CNN Brazil separately confirmed that Tree was on board at the time of the crash.
This is the kind of news that just doesn’t feel real. Tree was larger than life in every sense, from his quirky aesthetic to his genre-defying music to his theatrical live performances. To lose him in something so sudden and tragic feels like the universe pulling a cruel joke on an artist who built his entire brand around defying expectations.
Oliver Tree Nickell started his journey in the music world back in the 2010s, initially recording under the simpler name “Tree.” He built a loyal following by self-releasing music online, and things really took off when he dropped a cover of Radiohead’s “Karma Police” that actually caught the attention of Thom Yorke himself. That track ended up on his debut EP Demons, and suddenly people were paying attention.
After a stint at CalArts, Tree returned to making music in 2016 with his first official single “Welcome to LA.” But it was his visual style that really set him apart. Tree was known for his quirky look and self-directed music videos that were equal parts weird, funny, and undeniably compelling. He became a favorite on TikTok and the festival circuit, and his 2020 debut album Ugly Is Beautiful cemented his status as an artist who couldn’t be ignored.
What I always respected about Tree was his refusal to fit into any box. His second album Cowboy Tears was, as he put it, “a country album for people who don’t like country.” That sums up his whole approach to music. He wasn’t trying to please anyone or fit into any predetermined genre. He did his own thing, and that authenticity is what drew so many people to him.
The 2022 album was followed by Alone in a Crowd in 2023, and earlier this year Tree went back to his independent roots, releasing his fourth album Love You Madly Hate You Badly through his own Alien Boy Records. In May, he announced his first world tour, with the South American leg kicking off May 30 in Mexico and wrapping up with his final concert on June 6 in Sao Paulo.
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It’s a strange thing to say about someone you never met, but Oliver Tree felt like a friend in a way. His music was weird and wonderful and occasionally heartbreaking, and there’s a whole generation of listeners who grew up with his songs as the soundtrack to their own unconventional journeys. The world feels a little less interesting without him in it.
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