{{Short description|Canadian musical duo}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Once A Tree | image = | image_size = | landscape = | alt = | caption = | alias = | origin = | years_active = 2013–present | genre = {{Flatlist| * Folk * electronic * indie pop }} | label = | associated_acts = | website = {{URL|https://www.onceatreemusic.com/}} | current_members = {{Plainlist| * Jayli Wolf * Hayden Wolf }} | past_members = }}
'''Once A Tree''' are a Canadian music duo consisting of married couple Jayli and Hayden Wolf. They began in folk music before moving towards a more electronic sound.
==Background== The Wolfs were both raised Jehovah's Witnesses in British Columbia, Jayli from Creston and Hayden from Vernon, and met online through mutual friends. Jayli decided to leave the religion and convinced Hayden to join her. The pair moved to Toronto together when Jayli won a songwriting contest and married in 2012.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/once-a-tree-thousand-lives-interview-2015/|title=Once A Tree Want to Save Your Soul|journal=Vice|first=Jabbari|last=Weekes|date=6 August 2015|access-date=17 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://torontoguardian.com/2018/06/toronto-electronic-duo-once-a-tree/|title='Five Minutes With' Toronto electronic duo Once A Tree|journal=Toronto Guardian|first=Joel|last=Levy|date=22 June 2018|accessdate=17 August 2021}}</ref> They have said songwriting has helped them deal with difficult experiences.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.thealtomag.com/new-blog/2020/8/19/once-a-tree-talk-about-new-music-unconditional-love-and-human-connection|title=Once A Tree talk about new music, unconditional love and human connection|journal=Alto|first=Kaitlin|last=Secord|date=19 August 2020|accessdate=17 August 2021|archive-date=18 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818043027/https://www.thealtomag.com/new-blog/2020/8/19/once-a-tree-talk-about-new-music-unconditional-love-and-human-connection|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Career== Once A Tree debuted with a self-titled EP and the single "Light Me Up".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://spheremusic.me/2014/02/28/second-ep-and-canadian-west-coast-tour-for-once-a-tree-this-2014-interview/|title=Second EP and Canadian West Coast Tour for Once A Tree this 2014 (Interview)|website=Sphere Music|date=28 February 2014|accessdate=17 August 2021}}</ref>
Their first professional EP ''Thousand Lives'', released in 2015 under Toronto-based Foreseen Entertainment, followed the single "Howling", inspired by their childhood religion.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6575690/once-a-tree-howling-video-premiere|title=Exclusive Premiere: Watch Once a Tree's Evocative 'Howling' Video|magazine=Billboard|first=Andrew|last=Hampp|date=21 May 2015|accessdate=17 August 2021}}</ref> They continued working with Foreseen, going on to release their first album ''Phoenix'' in 2017. ''Rolling Stone'' named them "New Artists You Need to Know" and compared them favourably to Phantogram, Crystal Castles, and Chvrches.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/10-new-artists-you-need-to-know-november-2017-124811/once-a-tree-125036/|title=10 New Artists You Need to Know: November 2017|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=22 November 2017|accessdate=17 August 2021}}</ref> ''Phoenix'' won Best Electronic Music Album at the 2018 Indigenous Music Awards.
For the single "Breakdown", which Hayden based on his own mental health crisis and dedicated to his late brother who took his own life earlier that year, Once A Tree partnered with Kelowna General Hospital for their Not Alone Campaign. Proceeds went towards establishing mental health facilities for youths in British Columbia.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://people.com/music/once-a-tree-breakdown-new-single-mental-health/|title=Once a Tree's Hayden Wolf Says New Single 'Breakdown' Was 'Inspired by a Night I Didn't Feel Like I Could Keep Going'|journal=People|first=Nicole|last=12 July 2017|accessdate=17 August 2021}}</ref>
In 2018, Once A Tree were the subject of a documentary on Juno TV.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com/get-to-know-once-a-tree-others-new-juno-tv-series/|title=Get to know Once a Tree, others in new JUNO TV series|journal=A Journal of Musical Things|first=Amber|last=Healy|date=15 November 2018|accessdate=17 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.complex.com/music/2018/11/toronto-once-tree-kick-off-rising-new-series-from-juno-tv|title=Exclusive: Toronto's Once a Tree kick off Rising, a new series from JUNO TV|journal=Complex Canada|first=Christopher|last=Turner|date=13 November 2018|accessdate=17 August 2021}}</ref> They participated in the SOCAN Kenekt Song Camp in Nicaragua.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.socanmagazine.ca/sound-advice/how-i-did-it-once-a-tree-reflects-on-kenekt/|title="How I Did It": Once A Tree reflects on Kenekt|journal=SOCAN Magazine|author=Hayden & Jayli Wolf|date=2 August 2018|accessdate=17 August 2021}}</ref> "Born for This" became part of a Nissan television campaign, and "Worth" had an anti-bullying music video.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/once_a_tree_stand_up_against_bullying_in_new_song_and_video_worth|title=Once a Tree Stand Up Against Bullying in New Song and Video "Worth"|journal=Exclaim|first=Sarah|last=Murphy|date=29 May 2019|accessdate=18 August 2021}}</ref> Once A Tree performed the anthem "We Are One" for the 2019 Canadian Premier League.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://canpl.ca/article/we-are-all-one-once-a-trees-cpl-anthem-fuses-culture-of-music-and-soccer|title='We really are one': Once A Tree's anthem fuses music, soccer culture|website=Canadian Premier League|first=Armen|last=Bedakian|date=24 April 2019|accessdate=17 August 2021}}</ref>
The duo released their second album ''Fool's Paradise'' independently in 2020.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.nexusnewspaper.com/2020/11/20/new-music-review-once-a-tree-offer-insightful-stories-on-new-ep/|title=New Music Review: Once a Tree offer insightful stories on new EP|journal=Nexus|first=Ashley|last=Reid|date=20 November 2020|accessdate=18 August 2021}}</ref> ''Fool's Paradise'' was described as more lighthearted than their previous work, which Hayden attributed to coming "to a much happier place in life".<ref name="tc fp"/> The single "Rush" was filmed in Los Angeles, and the acoustic version featured Boy Pape.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://canadianbeats.ca/2020/07/18/once-a-tree-escape-the-rush-with-their-new-single-and-video/|title=Once A Tree escape the "Rush" with their new single and video|journal=Canadian Beats|first=Marie|last=Demeire|date=18 July 2020|accessdate=18 August 2021}}</ref>
Jayli also acts and releases solo music, such as "Child of the Government" about her First Nations father being taken in the Sixties Scoop; Hayden is a visual artist and photographer. They co-write most of their songs, and produce most of their music videos themselves.<ref name="tc fp">{{Cite journal|url=http://theconcordian.com/2020/11/once-a-tree-says-ignorance-is-bliss-in-fools-paradise/|title=Once A Tree says ignorance is bliss in Fool's Paradise|journal=The Concordian|first=Nadia|last=Trudel|date=20 November 2020|accessdate=18 August 2021}}</ref>
==Discography== ===Albums=== {| class="wikitable" !Title !Details |- | ''Phoenix'' | Released: 2017 Label: Foreseen Entertainment |- | ''Fool's Paradise'' | Released: 2020 Label: Alt Eden Inc. |- |}
===EPs=== {| class="wikitable" !Title !Details |- | ''Once A Tree'' | Released: 2013 |- | ''Thousand Lives'' | Released: 2015 Label: Foreseen Entertainment |- | ''The Good, the Bad'' | Released: 2021 Label: Alt Eden Inc.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://variancemagazine.com/sounds/12612-once-a-tree-the-good-the-bad/|title=Toronto's Once A Tree embraces 'The Good, The Bad' with new EP|journal=Variance|first=Jonathan|last=Robles|date=19 November 2021|accessdate=13 December 2021}}</ref> |- |}
===Singles=== *"Light Me Up" (2014) *"Howling" (2015) *"Breakdown" (2017) *"Coming Down" (2017) *"Fine" (2017) *"Born for This" (2018) *"We Are One" (2019) for the Canadian Premier League *"Worth" (2019) *"Run" (2019) *"What You Say" (2019) *"Whatever You Do Kid" (2019) *"Rush" (2020) *"3 Day Trip" (2020) *"Black Dog" (2021)
==Awards and nominations== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |- ! Year ! Award ! Category ! Work ! Result ! Ref |- | 2018 | Indigenous Music Awards | Best Electronic Music Album | ''Phoenix'' | {{won}} | <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indigenousmusicawards.com/nominees/view,profile/2951|title=Past Winners|website=Indigenous Music Awards|accessdate=17 August 2021}}</ref> |- |}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Once a Tree}}
Category:Canadian electronic music groups Category:Canadian folk music groups Category:Canadian musical duos Category:Former Jehovah's Witnesses Category:Male–female musical duos Category:Married couples Category:Musical groups from British Columbia