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Oliver Tree

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Oliver Tree
Tree in 2019 during video.
Born
Oliver Tree Nickell

(1993-06-29) June 29, 1993 (age 31)
Santa Cruz, California, U.S.
Musical career
Also known asTurbo, Tree, Kryph
Genres
Occupations
  • Scooter Enthusiast
  • Musician
  • Producer
  • Singer
  • Rapper
  • Songwriter
  • Comedian
Instrument
  • Vocals
Years active2011–present
Labels
Websiteolivertreemusic.com
Signature

Oliver Tree Nickell (born June 29, 1993)[1] commonly known as Oliver Tree, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, rapper, comedian, and filmmaker from Santa Cruz, California.[2] He signed to Atlantic Records in 2017, after his song "When I'm Down" became popular.[3]

Early life

Oliver Tree Nickell was born June 29, 1993 in Santa Cruz, California,[1] where he was also raised. He has said he had taken "piano lessons at three years old, [began] songwriting the next year, and [had] an album written by age six".[4] He sang and played guitar in a ska band called Irony, which was his first experience performing.[5] In high school, Tree took interest in hip-hop and electronic music, becoming a DJ and recording with the rap group Mindfuck. Under the pseudonym Kryph, Tree produced dubstep for a short period of time and performed at festivals such as Wobbleland 2011 in San Francisco. He has performed shows opening for acts such as Tyler, the Creator; Nero, and Frank Ocean, and has released music under his pseudonym, Tree.[6][2]

By the age of 17, Tree had already made presentations for performances such as Skrillex and Zeds Dead, and began releasing his music with his middle name, Tree.

At age 18, he signed to London-based R&S Records and released his debut EP Demons. The EP gained some recognition after Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke approved of his cover of their song "Karma Police".[7]

Tree studied business at San Francisco State University for two years[8] and Music Technology at California Institute of the Arts.[citation needed]

Career

Oliver launched his solo recording career as "Tree" in 2010. He initially self-released his music but signed with R&S Records in 2011. He eventually found himself on hiatus as he went back to school, studying music technology at California Institute of the Arts.[3][8]

In November 2016, he returned to music with his television debut performing with Getter on Last Call with Carson Daly.[9]

Shortly after the release of "When I'm Down", Tree signed to Atlantic Records, and a month later graduated from California Institute of the Arts.

Tree often writes, acts and directs in sketch comedy videos, and has worked with companies such as Fuck Jerry.[10]

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.[3][11] He spent five months practicing freestyle Monster Truck jumping at the Perris Auto Speedway and performed all his stunts in the music video.

Oliver Tree has played major festivals such as Lollapalooza and Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, and performed as a special guest at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and EDC, most notably at Coachella where he was subsequently named on LA Weekly's "The Best (and Weirdest) Fashion at Coachella" list in 2017.[12][13]

He was the supporting act on Louis the Child's 2017 Last to Leave Tour (2017) and[14] Skizzy Mars' Are You OK? Tour (2018),[15] and was scheduled to join Lil Dicky and DJ Mustard on the Life Lessons Tour Fall 2018 before it was canceled.[12] Tree toured North America and Europe with Hobo Johnson in 2018.

On December 7, 2018, Tree released his second music video, "Hurt", a single from his debut album Ugly Is Beautiful. He traveled to Ukraine to film the video, which he wrote and co-directed with Brendan Vaughan, an up-and-coming music video director.[16] In the first week, the music video for "Hurt" reached one million plays while the song received significant radio play. On April 11, 2019, Tree released his third music video, "Fuck", with the single being released on the same day.[17]

Tree performing in 2019

His fourth music video and single, "Miracle Man", was released on June 7, 2019, with the video reaching 1.3 million views on the first day of release. On June 12, he announced that he would give his final tour.[18]

Tree released his second EP Do You Feel Me? on August 2, 2019, to generally positive reviews.[19]

During a Coachella event in 2019, Tree stumbled after jumping off of the approximately 6 foot tall stage. This caused his lip, mouth, and nose to bleed live at one of biggest music events in the U.S.

On December 6, 2019, Tree released "Cash Machine", a single accompanied by a music video. Together with the single, Tree announced his debut album Ugly Is Beautiful with an initial release date of March 27, 2020.[20]

On March 25, 2020, Tree posted a message to his Twitter page, stating that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ugly Is Beautiful would not be released on time.[21] However, on May 19, the album's official release date was revealed to be June 12.[22]

On May 16, 2020, Tree set the Guinness world record for the world's largest kick scooter, which he later uploaded a video of himself riding on July 17, 2020.[23][24]

On May 26, 2020, Tree uploaded a music video for "Bury Me Alive" from Ugly Is Beautiful with a $6 budget.[25]

On June 8, 2020, Tree announced his decision to delay Ugly Is Beautiful yet again, this time to July 17. He stated that, because of the issues of racism and police violence against black people going on during that time after the killing of George Floyd, he "did not believe it was an appropriate time" to release the album when "much bigger things" deserved attention.[26]

On July 15, 2020, Tree announced in a Twitch interview with Anthony Fantano and the H3 Podcast that Ugly Is Beautiful would be his last album and that he would be retiring his music career after its release. He cited the difficulties he had with his label and the industry in promoting and releasing the album as his reasoning. He has decided he would pursue filmmaking afterwards. This most likely refers to the end of "Turbo" character that Tree has been playing.[27][28]

On July 17, 2020, Ugly Is Beautiful was released. Most notably in this album is the song "1993", which features an alien-themed character named Little Ricky ZR3, who in Oliver's words is an "upcoming artist" and "long-term friend". On the album, it features American DJ, Marshmello, producing the song "Jerk". In the Fantano interview Oliver states that Little Ricky had helped Oliver produce songs and had even done some vinyl scratching in his track Bury Me Alive. Many fans speculate that Little Ricky is actually Oliver, and that his vocals in "1993" are simply Oliver's voice pitched down. Along with this, fans speculate that even though Oliver's main character, Turbo/Oliver Tree would be gone, Oliver would continue to release music under the alias Little Ricky ZR3.[29][30][31]

On July 18, 2020, YouTube star H3h3Productions posted a podcast starring and interviewing Oliver. Inside the interview, Oliver states that Atlantic Records had forced him to release several singles from his debut album Ugly Is Beautiful against his will, comparing the event to chapters being ripped out of a book and released separately. In addition to this, Oliver also stated that Atlantic had forced him to reach 1 million followers to be signed on their label at all, and then changed this number to 2 million when he reached 1 million.[32]

Despite claiming that he was retired, he released the single "Out of Ordinary" on February 4, 2021 announcing the deluxe edition of Ugly Is Beautiful.[33][34] Shortly afterward, Oliver announced a second album, entitled Cowboy Tears.

He would later collaborate with Russian rave band Little Big and release the single "Turn It Up", featuring Tommy Cash, from their collaborative EP Welcome To The Internet, which was later released on September 30, 2021.

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
Title Details Peak chart positions
US
[35] 		US
Alt.
[36] 		US
Rock
[37] 		AUS
[38] 		AUT
[39] 		CAN
[40] 		IRE
[41] 		NZ
[42] 		UK
[43]
Splitting Branches
(as Tree)
  • Released: February 17, 2013
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: Digital download
 — — — — — — — — —
Ugly Is Beautiful 14 1 1 23 51 47 38 28 32
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Extended plays

Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications
US
Alt.
[44] 		US
Heat.
[45]
Demons
(as Tree)
  • Released: August 12, 2013
  • Label: Apollo Records
  • Format: Digital download, 12" EP
 — —
Alien Boy
  • Released: February 16, 2018
  • Label: Atlantic
  • Format: Digital download, streaming, 12" EP
 — —
Do You Feel Me?
  • Released: August 2, 2019
  • Label: Atlantic
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
 21 16
Welcome to the Internet[47]
(with Little Big)
  • Released: September 30, 2021
  • Label: Atlantic
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
 — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released.

Singles

As lead artist

Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[48] 		US
Alt.
[49] 		US
Rock
[12] 		AUS
[50] 		BEL
(FL)
Tip
[51] 		IRE
[52] 		NOR
[53] 		SWE
[54] 		UK
[55] 		WW
[56]
"When I'm Down"
(with Whethan) 		2016 — — — — — — — — — — non-album singles
"All You Ever Talk About"
(with Whethan) 		2017 — — — — — — — — — —
"All I Got" / "Welcome to LA" — — — — — — — — — — Alien Boy
"Cheapskate" — — — — — — — — — — non-album single
"Enemy"
(with Whethan) 		— — — — — — — — — — Alien Boy
"Upside Down" 2018 — — — — — — — — — —
"Alien Boy" — — — — 45 — — — — — Alien Boy, Do You Feel Me?, & Ugly Is Beautiful
"Movement" — — — — — — — — — — non-album single
"Hurt" — 4 11 — — — — — — — Do You Feel Me? & Ugly Is Beautiful
"Fuck" 2019 — — — — — — — — — — non-album single
"Miracle Man" — — 22 — — — — — — — Do You Feel Me? & Ugly Is Beautiful
"Cash Machine" — — 13 — 44 — — — — — Ugly Is Beautiful
"Let Me Down" 2020 — 26 9 — — — — — — —
"Bury Me Alive" — — 34 — — — — — — —
"Let Me Down"
(featuring Blink-182) 		— — — — — — — — — — non-album single
"Out of Ordinary" 2021 — — — — — — — — — — Ugly Is Beautiful: Shorter, Thicker & Uglier
"Life Goes On" 91 — 9 34 — 33
[57] 		14 63 33 26
"Turn It Up"[58]
(with Little Big featuring Tommy Cash) 		— — — — — — — — — — Welcome to the Internet
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released.
Title Year Peak positions Album
FRA
[59]
"My Mind Is"
(NVDES featuring Oliver Tree) 		2016 — Life with Lobsters
"Forget It"
(Getter featuring Oliver Tree) 		— Radical Dude!
"Running"
(NVDES featuring Oliver Tree) 		2018 — Vibe City Utah
"Pumpidup"
(Lorenzo featuring Oliver Tree) 		2019 62 Sex in the City
"Freefall"[60]
(Whethan featuring Oliver Tree) 		2020 — Fantasy
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released.

References

  1. ^ a b "Oliver Tree Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 13, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Baine, Wallace (2006-03-10). "Santa Cruz's Oliver 'Tree' Nickell has reached the ears of world from his laptop". santacruzsentinel.com.
  3. ^ a b c "VIRAL SENSATION OLIVER TREE RELEASES DEBUT EP ALIEN BOY" (PDF). Atlanticrecords.com.
  4. ^ Leight, Elias (2019-08-16). "Oliver Tree Is Outlandish, and It's Working". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  5. ^ "Chartbreaker: Inside Oliver Tree's Retro, Meme-Friendly World And How He Turned 'Hurt' Into a Hit". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  6. ^ "About Oliver Tree". StubHub. Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  7. ^ Weir, Mat. "Branching Out With Oliver Tree". euphoric.net.
  8. ^ a b Baine, Wallace (2016-06-22). "Branching Out With Oliver Tree". santacruzsentinel.com.
  9. ^ "OWSLA Getter Oliver Tree Carson Daly". owsla.com. 2016-11-03. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  10. ^ "Oliver Tree Releases New Single 'Upside Down'". broadwayworld.com.
  11. ^ Tree, Oliver. "All That x Alien Boy". YouTube.
  12. ^ a b c "Oliver Tree Chart History - Hot Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  13. ^ Lopes, Shane. "The Best (and Weirdest) Fashion at Coachella 2017". LAWeekly.
  14. ^ "Louis the Child at Hollywood Palladium on Sat Dec 16, 2017 8:00 PM PST — Live Nation". livenation.com. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  15. ^ "Skizzy Mars tour".
  16. ^ Tree, Oliver. "Hurt". YouTube.
  17. ^ Oliver Tree (2019-04-11), Oliver Tree - Fuck [Official Music Video], retrieved 2019-04-14
  18. ^ Oliver Tree, Oliver Tree final tour Twitter Announcement, retrieved 2019-06-13
  19. ^ News Desk, BWW (2019-08-02). "Oliver Tree Drops Sophomore EP". Broadway World. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
  20. ^ Oliver Tree - Cash Machine [Official Music Video], retrieved 2019-12-06
  21. ^ Tree, Oliver (2020-03-25). "pic.twitter.com/e3d7SbO8Bu". @Olivertree. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  22. ^ https://www.instagram.com/p/CAZG6uvjpot/
  23. ^ "Largest kick scooter". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  24. ^ Oliver Tree Crashes The World’s Biggest Scooter, retrieved 2021-10-01
  25. ^ "YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  26. ^ https://www.instagram.com/p/CBMukuwjvV8/?igshid=1thoj5o1dv9sr
  27. ^ "Oliver Tree INTERVIEW - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  28. ^ "Oliver Tree - H3 Podcast #198". Youtube. July 18, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  29. ^ "Oliver Tree - Anthony Fantano interview".
  30. ^ "Oliver Tree - 1993".
  31. ^ "Lil Ricky Instagram profile".
  32. ^ "Oliver Tree - H3 Podcast #198".
  33. ^ Diymag. "Oliver Tree releases new track 'Out Of Ordinary' | News". diymag.com. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  34. ^ "Oliver Tree Concocts A Belter For All The Outcasts With "Out Of Ordinary"". This Song Is Sick. February 5, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  35. ^ "Oliver Tree Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  36. ^ "Oliver Tree Chart History: Alternative Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  37. ^ "Oliver Tree's 'Ugly Is Beautiful' Debuts at No. 1 on Top Rock Albums & Alternative Albums Charts". Billboard.
  38. ^ "Discography Oliver Tree". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien.
  39. ^ "Discographie Oliver Tree". austriancharts.at (in German). Hung Medien.
  40. ^ Peak chart positions for albums in Canada:"Oliver Tree Album & Song Chart History: Canadian Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  41. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". irish-charts.com. Hung Medien.
  42. ^ "Oliver Tree - Ugly is Beautiful". charts.nz. Hung Medien.
  43. ^ "Oliver Tree" (select "Albums" tab). Official Charts Company.
  44. ^ "Oliver Tree Chart History: Alternative Albums". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  45. ^ "Oliver Tree Chart History: Heatseeker Albums". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  46. ^ a b c "Gold/Platinum: Oliver Tree". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  47. ^ "Welcome To The Internet - EP by Oliver Tree & Little Big on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  48. ^ "Oliver Tree Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  49. ^ "Oliver Tree Chart History: Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  50. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  51. ^ "Discografie Oliver Tree". Ultratop. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  52. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  53. ^ "VG-lista – Topp 20 Single 2021-40". VG-lista. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  54. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 41". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  55. ^ "Oliver Tree | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  56. ^ https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-global-200/2021-10-16. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  57. ^ "Top 100 Singles, Week Ending 8 October 2021". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  58. ^ "Turn It Up (feat. Tommy Cash) - Single by Oliver Tree, Little Big on Spotify". Spotify. 2 September 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  59. ^ "Oliver Tree Chart History: French Charts". lescharts.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  60. ^ Powell, Karlie (September 20, 2020). "Whethan pulls Oliver Tree out of retirement for one last collab 'Freefall'". Your EDM. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
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