Olivia Dean

Olivia Lauryn Dean is a British singer-songwriter born on 14 March 1999 in the London Borough of Haringey. Her mother, a barrister of Jamaican and Guyanese descent, named her "Lauryn" in tribute to American singer Lauryn Hill^[1]. Growing up in a household steeped in music, Dean absorbed a wide range of influences: her mother played Jill Scott, Angie Stone, and Lauryn Hill, while her father introduced her to Carole King and Al Green^[1]. These twin currents of classic soul and golden-era pop songwriting would define her artistic identity.

Dean began performing early. As a primary school student, she sang in a competition with her back turned to the audience, crying through the performance, and still placed second^[1]. At fifteen, she enrolled in a theater course at the BRIT School, the prestigious performing arts institution that also produced Adele and RAYE^[2]. She later switched to studying music, began writing songs at sixteen, and taught herself guitar and piano. At seventeen, she busked on London's South Bank, barely earning enough for dinner^[1].

Her high school graduation concert caught the attention of Emily Braham of Yo&Co, who became her manager and connected Dean with Rudimental as a backing vocalist. In October 2018, Dean self-released her debut single, "Reason to Stay," which attracted millions of streams and led to a recording contract with AMF Records and Virgin EMI^[1].

Dean's debut album, Messy (2023), was released to critical acclaim and earned a nomination for the Mercury Prize^[1]. Her second album, The Art of Loving (September 2025), expanded her sound with jazz, gospel, and bossa nova influences. The album topped the UK Albums Chart and produced the UK number-one single "Man I Need," which also peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100^[3]. Dean became the first female solo artist to have four singles in the UK top ten simultaneously^[1].

Her accolades include four Brit Awards and the Grammy Award for Best New Artist^[1]. Known for her warm, emotionally precise vocal delivery and her ability to blend pop accessibility with soulful depth, Dean has established herself as one of Britain's most distinctive voices of her generation.