Oliver Tree

How it started.

Oliver grew up in Santa Cruz, California. In a WGMU interview, he traced his path through a school band called Irony, a high-school rap group and dubstep DJ sets, before turning toward his own songs. He released music as Tree, including the 2013 Demons EP, before his collaboration with Whethan, “When I’m Down,” found a wider audience in 2016.

Songs and a whole visual world.

The bowl cut, oversized clothes and comic characters helped make Oliver instantly recognizable. His Alien Boy EP arrived in 2018, followed by the debut album Ugly Is Beautiful in 2020. “Life Goes On” and the Robin Schulz collaboration “Miss You” became international breakthroughs. Behind the visual jokes, his songs returned to feeling like an outsider and learning to accept yourself.

Different sounds, familiar feelings.

Cowboy Tears took his music toward country in 2022. He told Apple Music that the album was recorded at his grandparents’ California ranch and that letting yourself cry was part of its message. Alone In A Crowd followed in September 2023. In 2024, he joined Diplo on “ULTRAMAN” for the Netflix film Ultraman: Rising, with a songwriting credit as well as vocals.