Outrageous singer Oliver Tree and five others die in Brazil after helicopter collision
The popular American musician and director Oliver Tree did not live to see his 33rd birthday by just two weeks. The plane crash, which killed five other people, happened in the southwest of Rio de Janeiro.
Oliver Tree. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Information about the musician's death was reported by the Brazilian publication CNN Brasil, and later confirmed by local police.
It is known that Oliver Tree was in Brazil as part of his world tour — in early June he performed in São Paulo, and the European leg of the tour was scheduled to begin in July. Among the victims was also the popular Argentine YouTuber Gaspar Prim.
The path from ska-punk to global fame
Oliver Tree Nickell was born in Santa Cruz, California. His path in music was unusual and diverse: from the age of three, he took piano lessons, and by his teenage years, he had played in a ska-punk band and opened for stars such as Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean.
A real breakthrough occurred in 2017 when his song "When I'm Down" went viral online. After this, he signed a contract with the major label Atlantic Records. Widespread fame came with the superhits "Life Goes On" and "Miss You", as well as his debut album Ugly Is Beautiful, released in 2020. On Spotify, he had over 11 million monthly listeners, and some tracks garnered more than 700 million streams.
Oliver Tree distinguished himself not only with music but also with a bright, outrageous image. His signature features included his characteristic "bowl cut" hairstyle, flared jeans, and loud 90s windbreakers. In addition to music, he was actively involved in directing, shooting his own music videos and comedy sketches. For example, to shoot the video for the song "Hurt," he went to Ukraine and spent a million dollars on production.
In 2021, he released a collaborative mini-album Welcome to the Internet with the Russian rave band Little Big, recording one of the tracks together with the outrageous Estonian rapper Tommy Cash. Throughout his career, he managed to release three studio albums, and his music was even used in iPhone X commercials.