Olivia Dean, the 26-year-old Londoner, is poised to dominate next week's Brit Awards after a meteoric rise that has seen her win a Grammy and achieve global success. Nominated for five awards, including Best British Album and Best British Single, Dean is widely expected to sweep the board at Saturday's ceremony, which also features performances from Harry Styles and Mark Ronson.
Dean's second album, 'The Art of Loving', debuted at No. 1 in the UK in September 2025—the first by a British female solo artist since Adele in 2021—and reached No. 8 on the US Billboard chart. Its lead single, 'Man I Need', became a UK No. 1 and later climbed into the US Top 10. The album blends bossa nova, R&B and indie-pop, exploring love in all its forms, and has been praised for capturing the voice of a generation navigating modern romance.
Her breakthrough followed a year of relentless promotion, including performances on 'Jools Holland' and 'Saturday Night Live', and a support slot on Sabrina Carpenter's tour, which included five dates at Madison Square Garden. In January 2025, Dean won the Grammy for Best New Artist, using her acceptance speech to celebrate immigration, referencing her grandmother who emigrated from Guyana as part of the Windrush generation.
Jo Charrington, president of Capitol Records UK, credits Dean's focused approach: 'She is super intentional about what kind of records she wants to make—and that's not common.' Dean's former Brit school classmate, musician Rachel Chinouriri, adds: 'Her music is an extension of her. She is such a light.' Dean will play her own four-night headline run at Madison Square Garden later this year, which sold out in seconds.
