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Everybody Wants to Know. Who the Heck is Oliver Tree?

Oliver Tree
Oliver Tree in Concert. Photo by Bruce from Sydney, Australia.

Last updated on May 9th, 2022 at 05:28 pm

Think of an outstanding bowl cut, eccentric outfits, a super cheek personality, a scooter-riding obsession, several genre-bending hits, and an all-around entertainer, then you think of Oliver Tree. However, there’s more to Oliver Tree than meets the eye. 

Just like many people outside his audience, you may be wondering, who is Oliver Tree? Here are some important facts that make the Santa Cruz native pop star worth the attention he gets.

Who is Oliver Tree?

Oliver Tree has reached an international level with just four EPs and two albums to his name, including platinum records like “Alien Boy.” 

He’s also managed to pull in over 15.9 million listeners on Spotify each month, 3.4 million YouTube subscribers, and close to 250,000 Twitter followers.

“Life Goes On,” his 2021 single, has hit the Billboard Top 40 list and remained a fan favorite. 

These are some of the many reasons people won’t stop asking who is Oliver Tree?

Oliver Tree Performing
Oliver Tree performing in 2020. Photo by Bruce from Australia.

Oliver Tree Before He Became the Oliver Tree We Know

Where is Oliver Tree from? The American singer-songwriter and filmmaker, who released his debut album in 2020, is from Santa Cruz, California, and was born on June 29, 1993.

Tree had shown traits of a music prodigy from a young age. He’d started taking piano lessons at age three, began writing music by four, and already had an album to his name by the time he was six years old.

As he grew older, he picked up guitar playing, joined a ska band called Irony, and became a performing artist. Later on, electronic music and hip-hop caught his interest in high school, where he officially became a DJ and recorded rap songs with his group, Mindfuck.

Originally known as Kryph, he produced and performed at several shows through high school. Eventually, he stuck with the name Tree in 2010 and launched his solo career. From self-recording and releasing his songs, Oliver went on to open shows for Frank Ocean, Tyler the Creator, Nero, and a few others.

By the time he turned 18, he had presented for Zeds Dead and Skrillex, was already signed to a London-based R&S Records, and released his first EP called Demons. This debut EP had a satisfactory audience amongst listeners, especially his cover of Radiohead’s “Karma Police.”

However, he decided to take a break from music to return to school. Eventually, he studied business for two years at the San Francisco State University and music technology at the California Institute of the Arts.

Oliver Tree’s Journey to Success

After completing his education and remaining low-key for a while, Tree returned to the entertainment scene in November 2016. He performed on Last Call with Carson Daly with DJ Getter. He performed and officially released his single “When I’m Down,” which urged Atlantic Records to sign him within a month.

Afterward, Oliver Tree became unstoppable. He wrote, acted, directed, and pushed out several comedy videos as the year went by. Just over a year later, he released his first major-label EP, Alien Boy, which he wrote and directed in about nine months. He also released music videos for “All That” and “Alien Boy.”

In the same year, 2018, he released another music video for “Hurt,” a single from his debut album, Ugly Is Beautiful, which he didn’t release for another two years.

The video was one of the most memorable music videos for Tree, as it is the 34th most expensive music video ever made at $1,000,000. He’s also known to have famously tricked his record label into paying for the music video, details of which he put on some of his YouTube skits.

There aren’t a lot of artists that can boast of performing at top-rated festivals like the Lollapalooza, Coachella, Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, or EDCS. Oliver Tree can. He also has late-night shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to his list of appearances.

Oliver Tree in 2019
Oliver Tree in Oakland in 2019. Processed with VSCO with a6 preset. Photograph by Josh Jaffe (@josh_jaffe).

How Oliver Tree Became an Internet Sensation

Oliver Tree’s one of the most eccentric entertainers that exist today. Time and time again, he’s been given the “one part meme, part something less definable” tag. So, when he announced on July 17, 2020 that he was finally releasing his debut album, Ugly is Beautiful, it was no surprise that his fans went wild.

The Ugly Is Beautiful tease has been going on since 2018. He’d released the single “Hurt” and even gone on an Ugly Is Beautiful tour afterward. Another EP later, Ugly Is Beautiful remained unreleased even after the pandemic hit.

At some point, the ‘what happened to Oliver Tree’ question was on everyone’s lips. Tree even joked that he was canceling the album and “may release it within 5 to 10 years” because he was “officially retiring.” Eventually, he released it out of the blue. Tracks on the deluxe version included “When You’re Around.”

Oliver Tree’s songs are the perfect mix of alternative hip hop, electronic, and indie rock. Aside from his songs, he’s also known for his eccentric lifestyle. In 2020, Oliver Tree set the Guinness world record for the world’s largest kick scooter.

On May 28, 2021, Tree released the video for “Life Goes On,” where he wrote about a toxic relationship with a controlling, two-faced lover. Speaking of lovers, at some point, Oliver Tree’s girlfriend was Melanie Marinez. They were together for a couple of months before they broke up and later became friends.

Oliver Tree’s zodiac sign

Oliver Tree’s zodiac sign is Cancer, and it can be understandable why he has a layered personality. 

What race is Oliver Tree?

Oliver Tree is American. His ethnicity comes from the Santa Cruz area of California.

Oliver Tree’s Net Worth

Following the release of his second studio album, Cowboys Don’t CryOliver Tree’s net worth is estimated at $1 million. The 28-year old Santa Cruz native has a lot of accolades to his name and still has his life ahead of him to achieve more.

Written by Bo Weber

Supporting artists since 2014

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