Like much of the United Kingdom, I am a longtime Olivia Dean fan, and with the recent release of her brilliant second album, “The Art of Loving,” I am left at a frustrating loss: why isn’t the U.S. talking about her?
For long, the U.K. has been a fertile ground for musical talent, and Olivia Dean is undoubtedly one of its brightest emerging stars. Yet, in the U.S., her name is still more likely to be recognized from tabloid headlines — known to some as “the girl who dated Harry Styles” and possibly made out with him at Glastonbury this year. For those of you who, like the vast majority of Americans, are not yet aware of Olivia Dean’s talents — which, trust me, go far beyond her dating history — please allow me to introduce her to you. Dean is many things: a long time West Ham supporter, a graduate of the BRIT school (whose alumni network boasts names like Adele and Amy Winehouse), and, most importantly, a supremely gifted pop and neo-soul singer-songwriter.
I first heard of Olivia Dean through my dad, who just so happens to always be a few years ahead of everyone else when it comes to up-and-coming artists. Despite her recent success, Dean’s career has been in the making for a while now. Born and raised in North London, the 26-year-old came onto the scene at just nineteen when she released her debut single “Reason to Stay” in 2018. Since then, her sound’s only grown more mature and refined. Her 2021 EP “Live at the Jazz Cafe” — a stunning live album whose spoken interludes showcase her easy-going personality — and her cover of Angie Stone’s “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” cemented her status as an artist to watch.
In 2023, Dean released her long-anticipated first full-length album, “Messy,” which earned her critical acclaim on both sides of the channel. The New York Times praised her as a “[A] creamy-toned, jazz-tinged singer and a heartsore but resilient lyricist, grounded in classic verse-chorus-bridge songwriting.” And if you’ve listened to the album, you’d get it. “Messy” is a masterclass in vulnerable songwriting that still manages to make you want to get up and dance. The album peaked at 4th on the U.K. charts, where it stayed for a full seven weeks. But in the U.S.? It didn’t even chart.
The pattern continues as such: undeniable talent and growing success in the U.K., met with relatively weak support here in the States. Most recently, Dean’s upcoming “The Art of Loving Tour” sold out four nights at the O2 Arena in London — a 20,000-seat venue — so quickly that she announced two more London shows (which I anticipate will sell out just as fast once the sale starts). Meanwhile, there are no currently announced plans to bring the tour to the U.S.
Still, I believe there’s reason for hope. Dean just released “The Art of Loving,” on Sept. 26, and it truly is a work of art. In the U.K., the album went number 1 — ranking above Sabrina Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend”— with four songs making it to the top 100. While the whole album hasn’t yet charted in the U.S., three of Dean’s new songs made it to the Billboard Hot 100. Her single, “Man I Need,” climbed high to the No. 12 spot, while “Nice to Each Other” and “So Easy (To Fall In Love)” snagged the lower No. 97 and 98 spots. Evidently, “The Art of Loving” is proving to be a prominent breakthrough for Dean.
The album takes all of the beautiful jazzy-soul aspects of her past music and works them into a new form, folding in bossa nova influences, no doubt inspired by her recent trip to Brazil. The album is a gorgeous exploration of what it means to be in love in all senses of the word. Dean understands that being in love requires knowing and loving yourself first: “I’m the perfect mix of Saturday night and the rest of your life,” she sings on “So Easy (To Fall In Love),” proving that a love song can be just as much an anthem to self-worth as it is to romance.
There’s confidence in Dean’s writing on this album. The production is warm and organic, with grounded and relatable lyrics. Rather than writing about grand romantic gestures or gut-wrenching heartbreaks, Dean lets her voice breathe across every track, recounting moments of self-reflection, rebuilding, and a different, more nuanced kind of love. She reminds us that, no matter how you experience it, “[love is] all around you, all the time.”
Now, for the first time in her career, Olivia Dean seems poised for a proper U.S. breakthrough. Dean is slated to open for Sabrina Carpenter on her second U.S. leg of the “Short n’ Sweet tour” this fall, which will play to American crowds mirroring the size of those back home in the U.K. In the past few years alone, the opening-act slot has proven to be a powerful launchpad: just look at Chappell Roan’s rapid rise after touring with Olivia Rodrigo, or even Carpenter herself gaining a massive fanbase as an opener for Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour.” Add to that the aforementioned rising success of Dean’s single “Man I Need” — which is currently trending on TikTok — and it’s starting to feel like a true global breakthrough for her is on the horizon.
If you haven’t already, I’d invest early and start listening now, because eventually, the U.S. will catch up. And when it does, just know I’ll be up in my dorm, shaking my fist and chanting, “I told you so!”
