Olivia Dean, born in London in 1999, is an English singer-songwriter of Jamaican and Guyanese heritage and a BRIT School alum, working the seam between neo-soul and indie pop. Her debut LP Messy (2023) earned critical attention, and The Art of Loving (2025) — with the single Man I Need — went to number one in the UK. Shop Olivia Dean vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Olivia Dean Smith was born in London, England on September 5, 1999. She is of Jamaican and Guyanese heritage. She attended the BRIT School (London's famous performing arts school, with alumni including Adele, Amy Winehouse, FKA twigs, and many others). She launched her recording career in the late 2010s and signed with EMI Records. Her 2023 debut LP Messy received critical attention. Her 2025 follow-up The Art of Loving - featuring the breakthrough single Man I Need - was a commercial breakthrough and reached number one on the UK Albums Chart.
Olivia Dean's sound combines soul, neo-soul, pop, R&B, jazz pop, and indie pop with her distinctive vocal delivery and arrangements drawing on classic 1960s and 1970s soul (Aretha Franklin and Roberta Flack reference points) alongside contemporary indie pop and neo-soul influences.
EMI Records pressings of the Olivia Dean catalog have been issued in multiple color variant editions and limited deluxe pressings.
Listeners new to Olivia Dean typically start with The Art of Loving (2025) or Messy (2023).
