Meet Olivia Dean, the captivating Grammy best new artist nominee behind 'Man I Need'

Olivia Dean has already been nominated for a trio of Brit Awards and shortlisted for the U.K.’s coveted Mercury Prize, so adding a Grammy nomination to her budding resume isn't surprising.

The London-born singer, 26, whose mother is Jamaican-Guyanese and father is English, released her debut full-length album in 2023 (“Messy”). But it’s 2025’s “The Art of Loving” that burst through in the U.S., securing her a best new artist Grammy nod and radio ubiquity with the soulful strut, “Man I Need.”

She'll perform at the Feb. 1 ceremony in a segment featuring the best new artist nominees, which also include Addison Rae, Alex Warren, KATSEYE, Leon Thomas, Lola Young, sombr and The Marías.

Dean’s soul-pop is an amalgamation of the elegance of Sade, the astute songwriting of Carole King and the authenticity of Amy Winehouse, all singers she cites as influences.

Last summer, she became the first British woman since Adele to land three singles simultaneously in the U.K.’s Top 10 charts – “Man I Need,” “Nice to Each Other” and “Rein Me In” – as well as have a No. 1 album and No. 1 single (“Man I Need”) concurrently.

 But Dean’s success wasn’t contained to her homeland.

An opening slot on Sabrina Carpenter’s Short ‘n Sweet Tour in October introduced her to U.S. arena crowds, a venue size she’ll be accustomed to when she kicks off the North American leg of The Art of Loving Tour July 10 in San Francisco. Her headlining run stops at arenas in Boston, Baltimore, Atlanta, Minneapolis and includes a four-night stand at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Dean’s U.S. breakthrough also earned her a performance slot on “Saturday Night Live” in November, where she glided through “Man I Need” and “Let Alone the One You Love.”

How Olivia Dean went from street performer to hitmaker

But Dean’s “overnight success” started a decade ago, when she taught herself guitar and piano as a teen and started putting on street performances in London’s South Bank entertainment district.

She gained notice when, following the 2018 death of Aretha Franklin, she posted a cover of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” – cowritten by King – on YouTube. That same year, Dean independently released her debut single, “Reason to Stay” and joined with British drum and bass trio Rudimental on their song, “Adrenaline.”

But it was “Reason to Stay” that grabbed the attention of Virgin EMI Records, which signed her to a record deal and backed the release of four EPs (a fifth, “With Love,” arrived in April on her current label, Capitol).

Her full-length debut, “Messy,” jumpstarted her ascension, hitting the Top 5 on the U.K. album chart and earning critical kudos that led to her Mercury Prize nomination, an historically impressive feat for artists from the U.K. and Ireland.  

For “The Art of Loving,” Dean expanded beyond her musical guideposts of Motown-inspired soul and leaned into bolder sounds incorporating jazz and bossa nova interwoven with pop melodies.

What does Olivia Dean sing about?

While many of Dean’s lyrics tend toward heartbreak, chaotic relationships and vulnerabilities, she’s also proud to assert her independence and spotlight the importance of self-worth as evidenced on the jazzy pop single, “So Easy (To Fall In Love)”

“My mom worked with the Women's Equality Party, which is a political party in the U.K. So, it just would be impossible for me to not be a really strong feminist,” she told NPR in 2025. “I think I forget sometimes, I suppose when you live in a bit of an echo chamber, maybe, that not everybody feels that way. So, I feel it's important for me to drum that message home, and this song, I'm really proud of.”

In addition to her music, the stylish Dean is also a new spokesperson for Burberry’s latest fragrance, Burberry Her Parfum.

At the close of the year, Dean posted a message on Instagram thanking fans for changing her life during “the year of the art and the JOY of loving.”

A Grammy Award would be an auspicious start for her busy new year.