Oliver Tree Nickell (June 29, 1993 – June 14, 2026) was an American singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Born in Santa Cruz, California, Tree signed to Atlantic Records in 2017 after his song "When I'm Down" went viral. He released his debut studio album Ugly Is Beautiful in July 2020, which included the RIAA gold and platinum-certified singles "Alien Boy", "Hurt", "Miracle Man" and "Let Me Down". Classified as a "genre-defying musician", he achieved international recognition with his songs "Life Goes On" in 2021 and "Miss You" in 2022. Tree released his second studio album, Cowboy Tears, in February 2022; his third studio album, Alone in a Crowd, in September 2023; and his fourth studio album, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, in April 2026.
On May 30, 2026, Tree began his first world tour to promote Love You Madly Hate You Badly. The tour abruptly ended after Tree died in a helicopter collision over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 14. Tree and five others, Gaspi, Lucas A. Vignale, Lucas Frota and the two helicopter pilots, were all confirmed to be victims of the crash by the Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro State.
Oliver Tree Nickell was born on June 29, 1993, in Santa Cruz, California, to Jesse Louis Nickell III, a real estate contractor, and Christine Marie (née Begin). Both of his parents also worked as traveling circus performers. Because of his parents' entertainment careers, Tree spent his early childhood living in a mobile motor home, traveling extensively across the United States before his family settled permanently back in Santa Cruz when he was 12 years old. He grew up surrounded by musical instruments lining the walls of the vehicle, which fostered his early creativity.
Tree began taking classical piano lessons at age three, started writing original compositions at age four, and claimed to have written a full album by the time he was six years old. Despite his parents' unconventional background, they maintained a structured home environment once settled in Santa Cruz, providing him access to synthesizers, recording equipment, and art supplies that fueled his multidisciplinary interests.
Alongside his early creative interests, Tree was involved in extreme sports during his youth; in high school he began kick-scootering at a competitive amateur level. By age 18, Tree retired from formal competition following a succession of physical injuries, including a severe crash that resulted in multiple broken bones and joint dislocations. Rather than abandoning the subculture, he redirected his athletic experience into performance art as he integrated professional scooter stunts, customized oversized models, and extreme sports gear into his major-label music videos and live performances.
Early musical projects and DJ career
During middle school, Tree picked up the guitar, began singing, and joined a local Santa Cruz ska band called Irony, which provided his first experiences performing live. During his high school years, he transitioned away from ska towards electronic music and hip-hop, often participating in local rap projects and a psychedelic jam band.
He became an active DJ in the local Santa Cruz area under the pseudonym Kryph, focusing on producing dubstep. During this era, he frequently collaborated with future electronic producer Getter, as well as local artist Minnesota, with whom he co-created the song "Next Level Shit". He also joined a local rap collective called Mindfuck. By age 17, performing as Kryph, he secured slots at electronic music festivals such as Wobbleland 2011 in San Francisco. Under the name Tree, he later opened for touring acts including Skrillex, Zeds Dead, Tyler, the Creator, Nero, and Frank Ocean. His performances during this period were characterized by an eclectic mix of heavy bass genres and indie electronica, establishing his footprint in the Northern California underground dance scene, before he pivoted to alternative rock songwriting.
After graduating from high school, Tree moved to San Francisco to study business at San Francisco State University (SFSU). He attended the institution for two years. While a student, he signed to the independent label R&S Records at the age of 18 and released his debut EP Demons in 2013, which gained underground recognition after receiving praise from Thom Yorke of Radiohead.
Following the release, Tree took a brief hiatus to re-evaluate his creative direction, ultimately deciding that a traditional business track did not align with his artistic ambitions. He transferred to the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) to fully commit to music production and performance art. He graduated from CalArts in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music technology. His education at CalArts would later provide the foundation for directing his own narrative-driven visual projects in his professional career.
2010–2016: Early career and hiatus
Tree launched his solo recording career as "Tree" in 2010. By then, he had opened for Skrillex and Zedd as a DJ. He initially self-released his material, independently issuing the album Splitting Branches in early 2013. He sang and played guitar in a ska band called Irony, which was his first experience performing. He also performed at music festivals such as Wobbleland 2011 in San Francisco.
On August 12, 2013, Tree signed with London-based R&S Records and released his debut extended play (EP), titled Demons. The EP achieved recognition after Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke approved of his cover of their song "Karma Police". Tree eventually went on hiatus as he went back to school, studying music technology at the California Institute of the Arts.
2016–2018: Return to music and Alien Boy
On March 11, 2016, Tree returned to music, being featured on the song "Forget It" by Getter, a part of his EP Radical Dude! In November of that year, he made his television debut, performing on Last Call with Carson Daly.
Shortly after the release of "When I'm Down" by Whethan featuring Tree in October 2016, Tree signed to Atlantic Records. That same year, he graduated from the California Institute of the Arts with a Bachelor of Arts in fine arts. On May 26, 2017, he released "Welcome to LA" as his debut single as Oliver Tree. 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 own stunts in the music video. Tree played at major festivals including Lollapalooza and Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, and performed as a special guest at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival where he was subsequently named on LA Weekly's "The Best (and Weirdest) Fashion at Coachella" list in 2017. Additionally, he was the supporting act on Louis the Child's Last to Leave Tour (2017) and Skizzy Mars' Are You OK? Tour (2018).
2018–2020: Ugly Is Beautiful and singles
Throughout 2018 and 2019, Tree released a string of singles that later appeared on his debut studio album, Ugly Is Beautiful. On December 7, 2018, Tree released his second major music video, "Hurt". He traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine, to film the video, which he wrote and co-directed with Brendan Vaughan. Tree then embarked on the Ugly Is Beautiful Tour, performing new material including "Joke's On You!" and "Waste My Time". On April 11, 2019, Tree released a standalone single, "Fuck", with the music video releasing on the same day.