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Oliver Tree, the eccentric singer known for viral hits like “Alien Boy” and “Life Goes On,” idied after a helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro at the age of 32.
The musician, whose real name is Oliver Tree Nickell, was one of six people killed when two helicopters collided in the air over the Brazilian metropolis. Rio de Janeiro police told the Associated Press that Tree was on the passenger list of one of the helicopters; CNN Brasil confirmed that he was on board at the time of the accident.
The musician, who initially recorded under the name Tree, built a following in the 2010s by self-publishing his music online – including a Thom Yorke-approved cover of Radiohead’s “Karma Police” that appeared on his debut EP, Demons.
Career and viral successes
After studying at CalArts, Tree returned to music in 2016 and, among other things, released his first official single “Welcome to LA”. With his quirky look and self-directed music videos that regularly went viral – and whose aesthetic he later accused other artists of shamelessly copying – he quickly became a darling on TikTok and the festival circuit. The current highlight in 2020 was his debut album “Ugly Is Beautiful”.
Tree’s second album “Cowboy Tears” – “a country album for people who don’t like country,” is how he described the record – was released in 2022, followed a year and a half later by “Alone in a Crowd” (2023). Earlier this year, Tree returned to his independent roots and released his fourth album, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, through his own label, Alien Boy Records.
The last tour
In May, the singer announced the Oliver Tree World’s First World Tour. The South American tour segment began on May 30 in Mexico and concluded with Tree’s final concert, a June 6 performance in São Paulo.