As Olivia Dean took the stage at the Grammys to accept her award for “Best New Artist,” the internet took to their annual show of meltdowns and hot takes. In a category shrouded with names like Katseye and Addison Rae, discourse was bound to happen even before the envelope was unsealed. The category for “Best New Artist” has always been one met with contention, especially now, in the era of music commodification. Olivia Dean winning felt like a curveball in the best way possible.
Olivia Dean is a British singer-songwriter from London who released her first single, “Password Change,” in 2019. Her music blends soul, pop, and R&B in a mixture that’s both timeless and novel. Slowly but steadily, she’s released music with intentional, emotional precision. Leaning into specificity in her music full of ache and longing and love and heartbreak. As she went through the motions of releasing her most recent album, The Art of Loving, in 2025, songs like “Man I Need” and “So Easy (to Fall in Love)” became instant hits on social media platforms. Wherever you scrolled, there she was. It was only a matter of time before she became music’s next big thing, and, while the internet may have its own opinions, that title is ultimately deserved.Â
Before her most recent album, I went back through my Spotify library and noticed I had had a few of her songs saved without realizing. While it’s hard for me to often discover new music, her album quickly made its way to my most listened to of 2025. In an industry so saturated with trends and the next 15-second hit, her music stands the test of repeated listening.
Inspired by an art exhibition title All About Love in LA, which was in response to Bell Hook’s book of the same name, the album focuses on love and its kaleidoscopic aspects and facets. Whether romantic or platonic or sad or uplifting, throughout her album, she explores how to be more loving, loving others better, and, in turn, loving herself. So much of our focus on love is centred around others and how they affect us, instead of how we can affect others. In her album, Dean strives to take experiences that may have been heartbreaking at the moment and turn them into moments of beautiful, raw honesty.
As she credits artists like Lauryn Hill, Carole King, Amy Winehouse, and Jill Scott as her influences, you can hear their colours seep through every note and melody she sings. Built around her velvety vocals and lush arrangements, she’s a joy to watch on stage, as she thrives on simple sincerity. Her emotional honesty and careful storytelling are universally resonant. We don’t think of dissecting her experiences when listening; we think of putting ourselves in the experience of the lyrics.Â
What sets Dean apart is her creative freedom that mixes elegance and ease. As she became the first British artist since Adele to have three songs in the UK top 20 simultaneously, she’s continued to chart a new course that is built on pure, unbridled joy in her art. Following her recognition on the Grammy stage, we see a testament to the music’s true power. In its ability to capture the complex feelings of being human, we now have a new voice we’ll always return to for a good cry, laugh, and dance.
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