Exuberant Press

Electronic Dance Music Publication
Stop Motion Photographer
Relentless Retweeter

[Exuberant Press @ExuberantPress]

@Olivertree I am so proud of you. I know we were never close but you were a joy to be in class with. And one of the people who treated me well throughout the seven years we shared the same classrooms and halls. Your love for this world shines bright from the heavens and your spirit lives on

[Exuberant Press @ExuberantPress]

@Olivertree Oliver, you are missed by the world more than you could have ever imagined. Certainly more than I imagined when we graduated high school together. Your smile has always been infectious and I am greatly impressed with your foresight to continue contributing to art in the afterlife

[Oliver Tree @Olivertree]

Oliver Nickell

June 29th, 1993 – June 14th, 2026

Oliver Tree Nickell, beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, and friend, passed away in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday, June 14, 2026, in a tragic accident at the age of 32. Known as Oliver Tree, he was an artist, storyteller, singer, songwriter, producer, director, editor, actor, filmmaker, entertainer, traveler and creative force; he had just performed in São Paulo as part of his 7-continent world tour.

Oliver was born in Santa Cruz, California. From the beginning, Oliver always had the most astonishing and relentless creative drive. He began producing skits, music, and drawings as early as 5 years old. He spent ten years racing BMX, cycle cross, cross country, mountain biking, downhill racing and free-style dirt jumping. Oliver was a DJ in his teenage years and started performing shows under the name "Kryph", where he opened up for big artists in the dance scene. At 17, he signed with R&S Records, under the moniker "Tree", where he put out his first official body of work "Splitting Branches”. During this period, he attended San Francisco State University and later graduated from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in 2017. At CalArts, Oliver created the “Oliver Tree” project, which included producing, directing, acting, touring, film-making, and song-writing.

In 2016, “Turbo” was born, a character he developed for the internet, who was loud, colorful, bright and hilarious. That same year, he released his first single on all platforms as Oliver Tree, in collaboration with Whethan titled "When I'm Down". The song became a huge success and went gold. In 2017, Oliver signed with Atlantic Records and shortly after released his first viral hit song “Alien Boy” which was produced with his childhood friend Casey Mattson, as well as frequent collaborator Imad Royal. It was a song that truly encapsulated the Oliver Tree brand. Oliver then went on to release his debut album “Ugly Is Beautiful”, which hit the top 15 of Billboard 200 and reached number 1 on Billboard‘s Top Rock Albums and Alternative Albums charts. Oliver also released a deluxe version of the album which included the song "Life Goes On", a track that was produced with long-time friend and collaborator Getter. This song propelled Oliver into a global audience and was a commercial hit. Followed by the success of Oliver’s song "Miss You”, with Robin Schulz, which became a worldwide hit and was nominated for Best International Song (The BRIT Awards) in 2024.

Oliver never stopped reinventing himself. Each album featured a distinct character in the Oliver Tree universe: Turbo for “Ugly is Beautiful” in 2020, Shawney Bravo for “Cowboy Tears" in 2022, Cornelius Cummings for “Alone in A Crowd" in 2023 up until "Love You Madly Hate You Badly” in 2026, where he removed the fake personas and decided to show the world his true self for his final album which was 100% written and produced by Oliver.

Oliver had a deep curiosity about the world and wanted to experience every country and culture. Over the past two years, Oliver was a global citizen, visiting over 100 countries: eating local cuisine; connecting with locals of all kinds; participating in ceremonies; giving concerts; and recording music on his laptop. He went to the Middle East, sailed in Antarctica and became an honorary Maasai tribal chief in Tanzania.

Oliver was more than a musician; he was a true artist in every sense of the
word, seeing the world as a stage for his performance art. He pushed boundaries in every form of media and life. Oliver was on a mission to bring the world together through art and inspiring other artists to create. Being a forward thinker, Oliver created a non-profit entitled "Dr. Oliver Tree's Extremely Epic Art Grant for Baby Geniuses”. He wanted all of his money to go into funding other aspiring artists in all facets: music, film, installation and performance art projects.

Oliver cared so deeply about spreading art, joy, laughter and love into the world. He blended his characters seamlessly with his authentic self, which left the audience often wondering what is real or a prank. He found beauty in the ordinary and would constantly preach his "Ugly Is Beautiful" mantra on and off stage. He wanted everyone to feel like they had a place to be themselves. Under all the absurdist humor and outlandish stunts, he wanted to create an inclusive environment where everyone belonged and could realize their true potential.

Oliver was a creative force of nature, a true “Alien Boy” among human beings. His imagination was boundless, his laugh was contagious and his creativity and ideas were prolific.

Oliver is survived by his parents, Jesse & Christine Nickell of Santa Cruz, brother Jessup (Zoe), Grandmothers Ann Begin & Lorraine Nickell, Aunts Cynthia Begin, Mia Begin (Bill Schroeder), Uncle Dan Begin (Melissa), Aunts Sheree Kouffeld (Dave Christopher) and Jan Lamascus (Marvin), many beloved cousins, Beth, Breanna, Kaitlin, Kimmy, Maggie, Meadow and Nicolas; and numerous friends worldwide. He considered his team and colleagues his family: Dan Awad, Paul Donatelli; his bandmates: Casey Mattson, Amir Oosman, Jake Jamieson, Jmsey; his creative collaborators: Ethan Snoreck aka Whethan; Ryan Farber; Steve Zilberman; Jacob Dennis; Sebastian Hackett; his love Fiona Chernavskaya, as well as many others who touched his project and helped him execute his vision, who are too innumerable to be named.

We’ll leave you with a quote which Oliver said at almost every show he performed at, his mantra to the world: “No matter how strange you think you look, no matter how ugly you feel, you are beautiful.”

A celebration of his life / memorial service will be held at the UCSC Quarry Amphitheater on July 25th. Due to limited space for family and friends, this event will also be streamed live.

Donations: The family requests donations be made to “Dr. Oliver Tree's Extremely Epic Art Grant for Baby Geniuses”. Oliver’s vision is to support and encourage young artists to follow their dreams. See more at https://t.co/XY1lQhixpQ

[Exuberant Press @ExuberantPress]

@kakarPathan_ 2. He and I.

[Exuberant Press @ExuberantPress]

@oelma__

[EMW Presents @EMWPresents]

NEW YORK, there's something calling in the distance ☎️

@MochakkMusic Calling NYC, June 21 at Brooklyn Army Terminal, one of the city's most iconic waterfront venues 📡

Sign up for presale now at https://t.co/RTjecRrvEJ
Presale starts 4/9 at 10am ET

[Relentless Beats @RelentlessBeats]

Shaq's Bass All-Stars hits Rawhide on 8/16!

🚨 WE'RE GIVING AWAY 2 VIP PASSES
1. RT
2. Tag 3 friends & say LETS DO IT!
3. Must follow @relentlessbeats

Tickets on sale TOMORROW, 4/11 at 10am PT
Ticket prices starting as low as $37.50 when you buy 2!
🎟️ https://t.co/R5r1WXTiyB

[Exuberant Press @ExuberantPress]

Phoenix Lights is fast approaching and you won't want to miss out. Check out our precoverage where we go over the who's who of this epic line up. https://t.co/W0XMHTUVJM

[Exuberant Press @ExuberantPress]

@wheres_koolss Lineup is on point.

[Exuberant Press @ExuberantPress]

Who is excited for @DecadenceAZ? We are looking forward to another year of fun, can you believe it's been going on for a decade?

Check out the lineup and what to expect:
https://t.co/QUGRZNCcex

[Decadence Arizona @DecadenceAZ]

The perfect gift doesn’t come in a box - it comes with a NYE countdown 🎁👑 Make spirits bright this holiday season & give the gift of indulgence 🎄✨ Deals to Decadence Arizona end this Sunday 12.22 at midnight!

🎟️ https://t.co/NW48i26xcT

[Coconino Campout @coconinocampout]

Anyone else hella excited?

[Exuberant Press @ExuberantPress]

We are pretty excited for Coconico Campout this weekend. Who is ready to take some bass to the face and camp under the stars?

https://t.co/3Qq9twRDLU

[Exuberant Press @ExuberantPress]

Next weekend Chris Lake’s Black Box Records is putting on a two day show at Brooklyn Army Terminal. Check out our coverage on the artists performing.

https://t.co/kIzNGVa9AI

[MNTGE @mntge_io]

MNTGE + @blackbookrecs @chrislake

Our upcoming collection with Black Book Records will be available online Wednesday 07.17.24 at 10AM PST and Saturday 07.20.24 at our Pop-Up Shop in Brooklyn, NY at the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge.

The capsule features hand-sourced vintage denim jackets, custom embroidered hat and t-shirt.

[Exuberant Press @ExuberantPress]

ABQ, who's ready to throw your X up with @Excision ?

https://t.co/iRCg9fjK2l

[Exuberant Press @ExuberantPress]

@gjonesbass I'm trying to figure out how to buy tickets. It's very difficult to do without a Japanese phone number, address, etc. Planning on. Making it to both shows. Also, open to photographing.

[Exuberant Press @ExuberantPress]

For Twenty24 I'll be reviewing a song a day for 24 days. Up first "Wander" by Kizer @KizerMusicOffic. Check back each day as I release the next track.

https://t.co/86N7YBWjRy

[Exuberant Press @ExuberantPress]

@wheres_koolss @DecadenceAZ Wax Motif is the move.

[Exuberant Press @ExuberantPress]

With Decadence Arizona just days away our team is getting ready to indulge and we hope to see you there. Come say hello to us in the sky realm.

https://t.co/u5e2Cqv5ai