Recently, Olivia Dean has become my newest obsession, and honestly, it feels like it was inevitable.
Before her name started popping up all over TikTok, I already had a few of her songs saved without even realizing who she was. That alone says something.
Olivia Dean is a British singer-songwriter whose music blends soul, pop and R&B in a way that feels both timeless and painfully current. Her sound is warm and intentional, never overproduced or rushed. She writes about love, distance and self-awareness with a kind of quiet honesty that sneaks up on you.
I can confidently say that Olivia Dean is about to be the next big thing, and if you don’t believe me, here are her top five songs that prove exactly why.
“Hardest Part”
Favorite Lyric: “I know you’re still waiting, wondering where my heart is”
This was the very first Olivia Dean song I ever downloaded, and the one that made me realize just how much range she has as an artist. She takes a lyrically heartbreaking situation and pairs it with an upbeat, almost hopeful sound, creating an emotional contradiction that feels incredibly real.
“Hardest Part” captures the truth that walking away from something you deeply wanted can be harder than staying in a relationship that is slowly stripping pieces of you away. It’s bittersweet in the most honest way, and that’s where it hits the hardest.
“Close Up”
Favorite Lyric: “How can you get close to someone, you keep out of reach?”
This is the kind of song you play in your headphones while walking to class, completely in your own head. It’s reflective and honestly quietly devastating. “Close Up” explores the realization that you were never the problem, because some people’s perception of you will always be distorted.
There are people who remain committed to not truly seeing you, no matter how much of yourself you offer. Dean captures that emotional distance so clearly, making the listener feel both validated and exposed at the same time.
“Out”
Favorite Lyric: “I’m past pretending, and you know it’s true. When was the last time that you said you loved me too.”
To me, this song is the perfect avoidant anthem. It lives in that space where overthinking turns into self-sabotage, where you analyze every interaction until you convince yourself that your partner, or honestly anyone in your life, is looking for a way out.
What makes “Out” so powerful is that it subtly exposes how, in trying to protect yourself, you might actually be the one unraveling the relationship. It’s anxious, vulnerable and painfully self-aware.
“Touching Toes”
Favorite Lyric: “They say your body knows when it’s really something, when we’re touching toes, that’s the warmth of loving.”
This is a song I already know I’ll play when I’m in love. It’s beautifully soft, for lack of better words, and intentionally delicate. “Touching Toes” reminds you that love doesn’t always live in grand gestures. Sometimes it exists in the smallest forms of physical closeness, those quiet moments of touch that make you realize just how emotionally invested you’ve become. It’s tender, intimate and effortlessly romantic.
“Loud”
Favorite Lyric: “And you weren’t allowed, to come around and throw my heart about. To turn me on just to turn me down.”
One of Dean’s most popular songs, “Loud” earns every bit of its recognition. It asks the question so many people are afraid to say out loud. Why come into my life if you never wanted me in the first place?
The song channels anger that feels justified, anger toward someone who chose to hurt you, to change you and to warp your self-image when they always had the option to leave. Any song that can make you feel exactly what the artist felt while writing it deserves all the discovery in the world, and “Loud” does exactly that.
Dean has certainly earned every bit of the fame she has received. Within a music industry that is so reliant on trends, she stands out by trusting her feelings, voice and sense of self. Her music carries a unique sense of warmth and honesty that allows a listener to resonate with her music beyond just catchy lyrics, but vulnerables emotions.
Her fame and audience definitely have the momentum to last beyond a fleeting buzz. As her fans begin to grow, Dean is becoming a representation of musicians who value authenticity over popularity. If her popularity up to this point is to be any indication of the trajectory of her career, Dean will soon be the obsession of music listeners everywhere.