Olivia Dean
58ms
Born March 14th, 1999, Olivia Dean is a captivating English neo-soul artist and songwriter. Her discography boasts two studio albums, "Messy" from 2023 and the highly anticipated "The Art of Loving" in 2025, alongside two live albums and four EPs. Recognition came early, with Amazon Music naming her Breakthrough Artist of the Year in 2021, followed by BBC Music Introducing Artist of the Year in 2023.
Born in Haringey, London, to an English father and a Jamaican-Guyanese mother, Olivia's heritage is a vibrant thread in her life. Her grandmother's journey to the UK from Guyana as part of the Windrush generation is a significant part of her family's story. The middle name "Lauryn," a tribute to the iconic Lauryn Hill, reflects her parents' deep admiration for the artist. Growing up in Highams Park, Olivia sometimes felt the sting of being "othered" due to her mixed-race background. Music was a constant in her childhood, with her father's love for tunes often leading to joyful kitchen dances. Her early foray into performance was at primary school, singing "Tomorrow" from Annie. Overwhelmed by stage fright, she initially turned her back to the audience and cried, yet still managed to secure second place. Musical theatre lessons and a gospel choir nurtured her budding talent. At fifteen, a pivotal moment arrived with her acceptance into the BRIT School, a daily three-hour round trip that underscored her dedication. Originally pursuing theatre, she soon pivoted to songwriting, convincing her mother to invest in a second-hand piano.
At sixteen, Olivia began crafting her own songs, self-teaching guitar and piano. Her graduation concert became a turning point, catching the eye of Emily Braham, who would soon become her manager. Braham secured Olivia an audition with Rudimental, leading to her role as a backing vocalist at seventeen. While Olivia admits she wasn't perfectly suited to harmonies, often leaning towards melodies, her first performance was a monumental one: the Sziget Festival, in front of 16,000 people, in 2017.
October 2018 marked the self-release of her debut single, "Reason to Stay." In January 2019, she lent her voice to Rudimental's track "Adrenaline" on their album "Toast to Our Differences." Following the millions of streams for her self-released tracks "OK Love You Bye" and "Reason to Stay," a recording contract with EMI, under its subsidiary AMF Records, became a reality. November 2019 saw the release of her debut EP, "OK Love You Bye," recorded in a unique East London setting: a converted pub. Her second EP, "What Am I Gonna Do On Sundays?," followed in December 2020.
2021 brought a special rendition of Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" for Amazon's Christmas Originals, a performance that landed at number 19 on the UK singles chart. This achievement came shortly after Amazon Music had already recognized her as their Breakthrough Artist of the Year. In 2023, Olivia Dean was honored as BBC Music Introducing Artist of the Year. June 2023 saw the release of her debut album, "Messy."
Her journey continued with a performance at the Glastonbury Festival in 2024. June 26th, 2024, saw the release of "Time." On October 9th, 2024, a cover of The Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love," recorded at Jools' Annual Hootenanny, was released. The year's third single, "Touching Toes," arrived on November 15th. February 2025 saw Olivia contribute the single "It Isn't Perfect But It Might Be" to the film "Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy." Her second album, "The Art of Loving," is scheduled for release on September 26th, 2025, featuring singles like "Nice to Each Other," "Lady Lady," and the Billboard Global 200 charting hit, "Man I Need."
Olivia Dean's artistry is deeply influenced by legends like Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Carole King, and The Supremes. Her music is often described as a compelling blend of "devastating heartbreak ballads and sing-along self-love anthems."
In her personal life, Olivia is a proud brand ambassador for Chanel. Her mother's role as deputy leader of the Women's Equality Party in 2020 highlights a shared commitment to advocacy, with Olivia herself identifying as "a very strong feminist." A devoted supporter of West Ham United F.C., she shared many childhood moments at Upton Park with her father, a dedicated season ticket holder.
Copied!
Olivia Lauryn Dean (born 14 March 1999) is an English neo soul singer and songwriter. She has released two studio albums: Messy (2023) and The Art of Loving (2025), as well as two live albums and four EPs. In 2021, Dean was named the breakthrough artist of the year by Amazon Music, and in 2023, she was selected as BBC Music Introducing Artist of the Year.
== Biography ==
=== Early life ===
Dean was born in the London Borough of Haringey to an English father and a Jamaican-Guyanese mother. Her grandmother immigrated to the UK from Guyana at age 18 as part of the Windrush generation. Her middle name "Lauryn" was inspired by Lauryn Hill, of whom her parents are big fans. She grew up in Highams Park and sometimes felt othered for being of mixed-race. Her father often listened to music and they would dance around the kitchen together. In primary school, she sang "Tomorrow" from the musical Annie in a competition and was so nervous that she initially turned her back to the audience and started crying from stage fright, although she did win second place. She took musical theatre lessons in a Saturday school and participated in a gospel choir. At age 15, she was accepted to the BRIT School and travelled a 3-hour round trip every day to attend school. At first, she studied theatre, but she switched disciplines to songwriting and convinced her mother to buy a second-hand piano.
=== Career ===
Dean began writing songs at age 16, teaching herself the guitar and piano. She performed at her graduation concert, which attracted the attention of Emily Braham, a young woman who she hired as her manager.
Braham got Dean into an audition with Rudimental, who hired Dean as a backing vocalist at age 17. She said that she was not good in the position as she often sang the tune instead of just the harmony. Her first show was at the Sziget Festival in front of 16,000 people in 2017.
In October 2018, Dean self-released her debut single, "Reason to Stay". Dean was featured on Rudimental's single "Adrenaline" on the album Toast to Our Differences, released in January 2019.
After her self-released songs "OK Love You Bye" and "Reason to Stay" were streamed millions of times, she was offered and signed a recording contract with EMI under its subsidiary AMF Records. In November 2019, she released her debut EP, also named OK Love You Bye, via EMI. It was recorded in a converted pub in East London. Her second EP, What Am I Gonna Do On Sundays?, was released in December 2020.
In 2021, Dean recorded an exclusive version of Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" for Amazon's Christmas Originals line-up, which charted at number 19 in the UK singles chart. Prior to the release, she was previously named the breakthrough artist of the year by Amazon Music.
In 2023, Dean was selected as BBC Music Introducing Artist of the Year.
In June 2023, she released her debut album, Messy.
Dean performed at Glastonbury Festival 2024. On 26 June 2024, she released "Time". She released a cover of The Supremes's "You Can't Hurry Love" recorded at Jools' Annual Hootenanny on 9 October 2024. She released her third single of the year, "Touching Toes" on 15 November. In February 2025, Dean released the single "It Isn't Perfect But It Might Be" for the film Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.
Her second album, The Art of Loving, was released on 26 September 2025. It includes the singles "Nice to Each Other", "Lady Lady" and "Man I Need"; the latter reached number 9 on the Billboard Global 200.</ref>
== Artistry and influences ==
Dean has cited Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Carole King and the Supremes as inspirations.
Her music is described as "devastating heartbreak ballads and sing-along self-love anthems".
== Personal life ==
Dean is a brand ambassador for Chanel. In 2020, her mother became the deputy leader of the Women's Equality Party. Dean describes herself as "a very strong feminist".
Dean is a supporter of West Ham United F.C. and attended many games at Upton Park with her father, a season ticket holder, during her childhood.
== Discography ==
=== Studio albums ===
=== Live albums ===
=== EPs ===
=== Singles ===
=== Other charted songs ===
=== Guest appearances ===
== Tours ==
Headlining
UK & Europe Messy Tour (2024)
The Art of Loving Live (2026)
Opening act
Sabrina Carpenter – Short n' Sweet Tour (9 Shows: 23 October – 5 November 2025 in the United States)
== Awards and nominations ==
== Notes ==
== References ==
Home
Languages