Oliver Tree

From Santa Cruz, California, Oliver Tree Nickell has been building a pop project since the early 2010s at the intersection of alternative rock, indie pop, hip-hop and electronic music. His writing is concise, with melodic choruses and a pronounced taste for contrasts between irony, rock energy and danceable textures. Initially active under the name Tree, Oliver Tree released the independent album Splitting Branches in 2013 and the EP Demons the same year on R&S, before stepping back for a period to focus on his studies. His return took shape in 2016 through collaborations with Whethan, notably on “When I’m Down,” which preceded his signing with Atlantic. He followed with the EP Alien Boy in 2018 and the albums Ugly Is Beautiful (2020), Cowboy Tears (2022) and Alone in a Crowd (2023). His world also relies on a strong visual dimension, fueled by videos he often writes or co-directs, featuring an absurd and deliberately eccentric aesthetic. Over the years Oliver Tree has crossed pop, rock and electronic scenes through collaborations with Little Big, Robin Schulz, David Guetta, BoyWithUke and Diplo, and with appearances at festivals such as Lollapalooza, Outside Lands and Coachella.