Dear Olivia
Over the past few years, we have seen a refreshingly rich crop of young artists burst onto the music scene, many of them women and, interestingly, having studied at the same BRIT School (located in England, in case you were wondering): Lola Young, whose “Messy” is one of the most anthemic pop songs of late; Raye, who has been battling it out with veteran Robbie Williams on top of the UK charts — and Olivia Dean, whose only competition on the Billboard 100 has been Super Bowl king Bad Bunny himself. You can’t get much higher than that — yet.
As is pretty much always the case, Dean’s reign over pop didn’t start yesterday. From her 2019 debut EP OK Love You Bye and its exciting eponymous single, the (then extremely) young lady displayed a remarkably well formed aesthetic, complete with an aura that made her music quite magnetic. Which is also pretty much always the case: think early Madonna or Lady Gaga, these genre-defining artists usually showcase their uniqueness from the get go. Then you have the P!nks or Amy Winehouses of this world, who had to wait for their sophomore album to win over the label and finally do what they wanted.
Speaking of Amy Winehouse, the comparison with Olivia Dean tends to come up often, because their work is infused with the same soul-pop blend, because they both happen to be British, because their voices have somewhat comparable stylings… take your pick. As she was being interviewed by composer Ross Golan on his podcast a few months ago, Dean reacted to the question of Winehouse’s influence on her by stating that the late singer simply was unique, rightfully confirming her status as a generational icon all the while elegantly eluding direct comparison. Perhaps with a bit of irritation in her — otherwise melodic — voice.
What is true is that Olivia Dean already built a catalogue that is both consistent and distinctive. Singles like 2020’s “The Hardest Part” and 2023’s “Dive”, both included in her debut album (and aptly named) Messy, show a progression towards more sophisticated neo-soul production à la Mark Ronson (Winehouse’s producer of choice), albeit with this quiet crooner-type assurance that is very much hers. Then came 2025’s sophomore effort The Art of Loving and Dean reaching superstardom: “Man I Need” is edging closer to a billion streams on Spotify (2026’s definitive stamp of approval), while “So Easy (To Fall In Love)” is arguably closer to fellow rising superstar Laufey’s stylistic neck of the woods. That the former became the bigger hit is not surprising: it stands out as a bona fide pop hit while retaining Dean’s touch; the latter still feels a tad more personal if you ask me.
Earlier this year, Olivia Dean earned her first Grammy — for best new artist. A fitting nod for a musician who has already proven to be a driving force in this new singer-songwriter generation. The question now is: how far will she go? As far as Amy Winehouse, who effectively came to define a musical era? Too early to tell. What we do know is that Olivia Dean’s Back to Black is not out yet. All we can hope for is that it will be.