Local Artist Troli Bear Connects With Listeners on a Deeper Level
by James Coulter
Imagine a lazy summer day, the type of day that’s not too hot to the point where you’re sweating buckets, but one that’s warm enough to sit back and relax on the porch with a refreshing iced tea. Now imagine the perfect music to listen to on such a day.
Chances are, the ideal music sounds like that of local artist Troli Bear. If you like the mellow tunes of artists like Ed Shereen or Post Malone, you’ll probably love the serene serenades of Troli Bear.
If you’ve ever visited the Winter Haven Saturday Markets, you’ve most likely heard this hot local artist crooning his sweet mellow tunes at the corner of Central Park. For nearly a decade, he’s been writing and performing songs that have made him both a local and viral hit.
Troli Bear, the stage name of Winter Haven musical artist, Oliver Cruz, has been creating music ever since he started high school. He experimented with video effects, editing, and filming. He later moved on to music in 2016 and released his first single, Love That, in 2018.
Since releasing Love That in 2018, Oliver has released more than 30 songs. Many are available on Spotify and YouTube. His YouTube channel currently has more than seven thousand subscribers. Most of his videos sport several hundred humble views, but “Love That” remains his highest-viewed video at 36 thousand and counting.
His song, “Yourself”, he considers to be his favorite. It is a song he created for mental health awareness, and he focuses on providing his listeners with encouragement and self-love “to help them live another day” and hopefully “save someone’s life.” Through songs like that, he hopes to connect with his listeners on a spiritual level.
“What makes [my music] unique to me is that I try to relate as much as I can to the song, first of all, to myself, and then connect it to the listener,” he said. “I usually go in, dive into their heartstrings, and maybe pluck a few strings or two. [I] try to connect with the listener on a deeper level with the power of music because I know how much of an impact it can have on someone.”
Troli Bear recently joined us as a guest on our podcast Chattin on the Ridge. Listen to his podcast guest appearance here on Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chattinontheridge/episodes/Ep–19-Troli-Bear-Oliver-Cruz-e2e5gme