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Olivia Dean is on a tear. The 26-year-old is having one of those fantasy pop runs that rarely happen to young artists: an avalanche of chart-topping singles, a support slot on Sabrina Carpenter’s US tour, and a coming arena tour of her own next year.
But first there’s some mutually distressing news that must be addressed: West Ham United. Our team is so bad right now. Yes, worse than usual. It’s still early in the English Premier League season but relegation’s already in sight.
“We’re terrible!” says Dean, a lifelong Irons supporter, born and raised in Highams Park in East London, who grew up going to games with her dad, a season ticket holder. “I have no confidence for this season. None. But I’ve been a West Ham fan all my life and I understand disappointment. I’ll never leave the club but we know the cards we’re dealt.”
Spoken like a true West Ham fan. Fortunately, there are brighter things keeping Dean occupied right now. For instance, she has at least three different singles climbing the pop charts in the UK, US and Australia, including the ubiquitous Nice to Each Other. Her latest smash Man I Need is No.2 on ARIA’s singles chart, held off the top spot only by the cultural phenomenon that is the KPop Demon Hunters hit Golden.
“Look, I understand that, the force is too strong. And maybe a No.1 would go to my head anyway,” Dean says. Hits are fun but it’s not why she does this. “It’s flattering but it’s not the end goal for me. I wouldn’t be fussed if they weren’t in the charts, as long as people still wanted to come to the shows.”
Speaking from her record label’s office in London, the exhaustion of the moment is dripping off Dean. She’s been busy capitalising on the singles’ success, doing non-stop promo and performing at in-stores ahead of the release of The Art of Loving, her new album following her Mercury Prize-nominated debut Messy. Even her “off” moments include work.
“Honestly, every day is completely different right now. It’s like Quality Street, you just don’t know what kind of day you’re gonna get. If I have a day off I’m just at home signing things while watching true crime.”
Even during the interview her attitude is starkly professional. Dean is not some grateful ingenue riding a surprise TikTok hit; she knows what she’s worked for. Her trajectory is almost old-fashioned: she released her first of several EPs, Ok Love You Bye, in 2019, and built a devoted following through gigs and festival performances before courting major label attention. Her overnight success has been an almost decade-long journey.
“It really has felt like the old-fashioned way, and I like that,” she says. “I’m not someone who’s interested in rushing success. I’m not trying to do any tricks to get there quicker.”
I’m not even sure there are any tricks. Otherwise the music industry wouldn’t be flailing. “I don’t know, I’m sure there are,” says Dean. “But the things that last are really thought through and have a good foundation and come from the heart. People aren’t stupid. They know when something’s real and authentic and when it’s fake.”
Olivia Dean performing at the Laneway festival in Sydney earlier this year.Credit: Edwina Pickles
Dean got into songwriting at 16 while attending the BRIT (British Recording Industry Trust) School, the London performing arts school whose alumni include Amy Winehouse, Adele and Lola Young. But she initially studied musical theatre. “I knew I wanted to go there and write my own music but I was aware I wouldn’t get into the school based on that because I didn’t have the experience,” she explains. “But I did have experience in musical theatre, so I continued studying that.”
Musical theatre taught her to understand song structure, instrumentation and storytelling through song and performance. “I could speak forever about the power of musical theatre,” she says. “People don’t vibe it but I think it’s fantastic. People worry about it being cringe and it’s, like, free up yourself.”
Does she have a favourite musical? “West Side Story. It’s just some of the best music that’s ever been written. So fantastic. So moving.”
You can already picture the Disney musical in her future. “I mean, I wouldn’t say no!” she says. “I’d like to write a musical. That’s a weird goal of mine. But I don’t have the time right now.”
Does she already have a concept in mind? “I do but I’m not telling you,” she says.
Dean’s parents, if not at all musical – her Jamaican-Guyanese mother Christine is a family lawyer and former deputy leader of the Women’s Equality Party in the UK; and “my dad is very smart, works with computers”, says Dean – were always supportive of her ambition. “I was quite stubborn early on, like, I want to be a singer!” says Dean. “And they were like, OK, then maybe you should have some singing lessons.”
Her voice – warm and understated like Sade’s, if decidedly more chaste – is central to Dean’s appeal. But listen to Let Alone the One You Love, the centre point on The Art of Loving, and you’ll wish she went full-bore more often, pile up those Whitney moments. “It would be a lie to say I opened my mouth at 8 or 16 and I sounded like I do now,” says Dean. “My voice developed over time. It’s like an instrument you become better at.”
If Messy was a strong introduction – beyond the Mercury Prize nomination it also earned Dean Brit Award nominations for best new artist and British artist of the year (she lost both to Raye) – The Art of Loving comes with greater anticipation. Dean is working in a different ecosystem now; as the Brits put it, she’s entering her “superstar era”.
Case in point: when she toured Australia in February, she performed at the UNSW’s Roundhouse and Melbourne’s Forum. When she returns next year, it’s for multiple nights at Qudos Bank Arena and Rod Laver Arena. Her profile has grown so much she was even briefly romantically linked to Harry Styles in the tabloids this year. She’s aware of the attention but isn’t letting its tendrils reach her music.
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“People talk about your second album like it’s going to be the hardest thing you’ll ever have to do – can you do it again, what if it’s shit, and all that? But I’ve tried to ignore those things and focus on making it fun for myself,” she says.
“I really believe if I enjoy myself and make something just for me then whatever I make will be true. So I feel confident about the idea of making another album, and an album after that, and an album after that.”
The Art of Loving is out now. Olivia Dean will perform on the Fleet Steps on November 20, before a national arena tour in October 2026.
