Olivia Lauryn Dean is an English singer and songwriter. Born on 14 March 1999 in the London Borough of Haringey, England, she grew up in Highams Park and Walthamstow in a household that blended her English father’s love of music with her Jamaican-Guyanese mother’s heritage. From a young age, she sang in a gospel choir to help overcome shyness and took part in musical theatre and arts-school training, eventually gaining a place at the prestigious BRIT School, where she initially studied theatre before switching to songwriting. During her formative years she found inspiration in musical legends like Lauryn Hill (her middle name “Lauryn” is a tribute to her), Amy Winehouse, and Carole King, and she often credits her mother’s encouragement and her father’s record-collection for shaping her musical sensibility. Professionally, Olivia Dean’s career began to ascend after she provided backing vocals for Rudimental in 2019, and by 2021 she was named Breakthrough Artist of the Year by Amazon Music. Her debut studio album, Messy, was released in June 2023 and received widespread acclaim for its soulful blend of pop, jazz and R&B. On the personal front, she has spoken openly about her identity as a mixed-heritage woman in London, acknowledging moments of feeling “othered” while growing up and embracing her background as part of her artistic voice. She also describes herself as “a very strong feminist,” influenced by her mother’s own leadership role in women’s political advocacy.
Four: Reason to Stay
“Reason to Stay” marks Olivia Dean’s official debut into the music world, released in 2018 when she was still transitioning from a shy BRIT School student into a confident soul-pop storyteller. The song introduced listeners to her warm, honey-soft vocals and the tender writing style she has become loved for, blending soulful melodies with gentle acoustic and R&B influences. This track has garnered over 50M on spotify and over 2.6M views on it’s Official audio on YouTube. “Reason to Stay” explores the fragile balance between vulnerability and strength in relationships, as she reflects on craving reassurance from someone she loves while still valuing her own emotional clarity. The track is introspective without being heavy, capturing that relatable moment when you’re asking someone to choose you wholeheartedly. Although she was a newcomer when the song dropped, “Reason to Stay” signaled that Olivia Dean had arrived with a sincere voice, emotional depth, and a musical identity rooted in honesty and soul. It set the tone for the blossoming career that soon followed, showing early signs of the thoughtful storyteller she would evolve into. While the song didn’t rake in major chart peaks or significant certifications, it served as a raw, intimate opening statement for Olivia Dean, showing her voice, her themes (trust, self-respect, love with boundaries) and her own authentic storytelling from the get-go.
FYI
- Dean is a brand ambassador for Chanel. She will be the face of the Burberry Her fragrance in January 2026.
Three: Dive
Released on 28 March 2023, “Dive” arrived as the third single from Olivia Dean’s debut studio album Messy. The track clocks in at around 3 minutes 20 seconds and was crafted with songwriter-producers including Bastian Langebæk, Matt Hales and Tré Jean-Marie alongside Dean herself. Musically the song is a shimmering, soulful pop/R&B cut about surrendering to love, letting yourself “dive in” to the other person, feeling seen and cared for. It has garnered over 217M streams on spotify and over 9.7M views on it’s Official Music Video on YouTube. Chart wise, while it didn’t smash through to number one, “Dive” did attain respectable peaks: in the UK it reached #37 on the Official Singles Chart during its run, spending seven weeks in the Top 100. Internationally it found strong traction — for example on the Swedish Heatseeker chart it topped #1, and in the Netherlands (Single Tip chart) it peaked at #2. As for critical acclaim, reviewers praised it for its blend of vintage soul sensibility and modern pop polish. In short: “Dive” might not have topped major global charts with platinum-level certifications but it definitely raised Olivia Dean’s profile, showed her songwriting and vocal chops, and became a fan-favourite and streaming success.
Two: A Couple Minutes
“A Couple Minutes” dropped commercially on 22 October 2025 as the latest single release from Olivia Dean, under the labels Capitol Records UK and Polydor Label Group. The track is featured on her second studio album, The Art of Loving which dropped 26 September 2025. It is credited as the 11th track of the album. “A Couple Minutes” explores that complex moment when two people who once had something reconnect briefly — in just “a couple minutes” — and within that short span, there are deep emotions, recognition of change, nostalgia, growth, and quietly acknowledging that life moves on. It has garnered over 22M streams on spotify and over 718K views on it’s Official audio on YouTube. On the creative side, interviews and descriptions say Dean wanted to capture the idea that love isn’t always about forever in one moment — sometimes it’s the fleeting, sincere “hey, I remember you” moments that stay with you. Her website highlights “A Couple Minutes” as one of the tracks where her signature sound weaves through the album, blending warm honesty with her evolving craft. Although full commercial acclaim isn’t abundantly documented yet, it represents a mature showing of her songwriting, vocal warmth and emotional depth — in many ways a quietly powerful statement in her discography.
Awards/Nominations
- Olivia Dean’s journey in the music world may still be fresh, yet her presence already glows with the kind of brilliance that turns heads and bends ears.
- Back in 2020, Olivia Dean was nominated for Best R&B/Soul Video (UK) at the UK Music Video Awards 2020 for her track “Password Change”.
- Her debut album Messy (2023) earned her a nomination for the prestigious Mercury Prize (Album of the Year) in 2023. She also won the BBC Introducing Award (Artist of the Year) in 2023 for up-and-coming UK talent.
- In the 2024 BRIT Awards 2024 she achieved three nominations—Best New Artist, Artist of the Year and Best Pop Act.
Discography
- Messy (2023)
- The Art of Loving (2025)
One: Man I Need
From the moment it dropped, “Man I Need” marked a leap in her career. Released on 15 August 2025, this track stands as Olivia Dean’s biggest hit of all time so far. The song emerges as the third single from her second studio album THE ART OF LOVING, and it’s been described by Olivia herself as “a song about knowing how you deserve to be loved and not being afraid to ask for it.” Garnering over 250M streams on spotify and over 14M views on it’s Official Music Video on YouTube, it blends bold pop-soul energy with a feel-good groove and confident lyrics that declare a kind of self-worth and love demand like “you’re the one I need.” Chart wise, the track soared: it reached number 1 in the UK, Belgium (Flanders), Ireland, Iceland and New Zealand, while also charting inside the top 5 in countries like Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. In the U.S., it became her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 12 — a major global step for her career. On the critical front, outlets praised the song’s fearless love-anthem attitude and slick production (Rolling Stone called it “magnetic”) and noted that it represented a bold evolution for Olivia as an artist. “Man I Need” stands as Olivia Dean’s most commercially successful song to date — headlining charts, expanding her global reach, and cementing her trajectory in the music world.