Oliver Tree’s music and memory lived on at the Electric Forest festival over the weekend, where T-Pain and Shaquille O’Neal teased what is likely the late singer’s final project.
Grammy winner T-Pain and the former NBA player (performing as DJ Diesel) paid tribute to Tree during their set on the second night of the three-day Michigan music fest. According to video shared on social media, the performers played unreleased audio of Tree singing about slowing down and projected the Santa Cruz native’s music videos onto the screens behind them.
“It’s time to celebrate life, baby,” T-Pain can be heard saying before the song played.
Oliver Tree Nickell, known for viral songs “Life Goes On” and “Miss You,” died June 14 when two helicopters collided in Brazil. He was one of the six people who were killed in the collision. He was 32.
As news of Tree’s death circulated, numerous music stars paid tribute, including “Buy U a Drank” hitmaker T-Pain, who shared that he and Tree had connected before the singer’s sudden death. T-Pain posted videos of Tree’s appearance on his “Nappy Boy Radio” podcast and a snippet of the two of them jamming in the studio, working on the same song that Electric Forest attendees heard over the weekend.
“It sounds like f— magic, man, that is the Oliver Tree sound,” Tree tells T-Pain in the video, which later shows the collaborators nodding their heads to the beat.
T-Pain said in his Instagram caption: “Thanks for sharing your art and for always being different in the best way possible. See you on the brighter side.”
Beyond T-Pain and DJ Diesel’s set at Electric Forest, celebrations of Tree’s life will continue Monday in Los Angeles. Fans can gather Monday evening at the Venice Skatepark to commemorate what would have been the singer’s 33rd birthday, according to an event announcement shared on Tree’s Instagram story. The event advertises “free bowl cuts” and a limited supply of sunglasses — a nod to Tree’s distinct look — and is slated to run from 5 to 8 p.m.
Times staff writers Tony Briscoe and August Brown contributed to this report.
