Two years after the release of her debut album, Olivia Dean, a graduate of the Brit School, returns with a soft, polished collection of soulful music. Now older and wiser but still imperfect, she is honing her skills in crafting love songs, aspiring for the timelessness that all artists crave.
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Olivia Dean is enjoying a great day. At 26 years old, she has just received the test pressing of her upcoming vinyl for her second album, ‘The Art Of Loving’. This collection, which has taken two years to create, serves less as a guideline for an ideal relationship and more as a testament to conflicting emotions that love embodies. “I had a great time making it. Everything on this album is honest, true, and real. I really like it. I love it. Whatever will be, will be,” she shares happily with CLASH. “I've been contemplating the time that went into crafting this album; the places I’ve visited, the people I’ve collaborated with. I feel really proud of what we’ve accomplished.”
A week earlier, while on set for the cover shoot, Dean radiates a calm generosity, seizing the warm weather for an ice cream break, choosing the new Magnum Utopia Double Cherry flavor. We find her in the middle of rehearsals for a series of shows abroad and a few intimate gigs back home to promote her LP, which releases this September. We talk about the comfort of performing at home compared to how some expressions get lost when she plays overseas. One song, ‘Slowly’, from her EP ‘Growth’ – which touches on Margate, infatuation, and a memorable taxi ride home – puzzles her American listeners. “There’s a line that says, ‘I could have opened up, cried and almost been myself. But I took the piss instead.’ I’ve had fans misquote that, thinking I said ‘I took a piss,’” she laughs.
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What Dean doesn’t mention is that she’s rehearsing for a surprise performance on the Strummerville stage at Glastonbury. This marks her second consecutive year at the world’s largest festival, following a celebrated performance on the Pyramid stage last year (“that was the best moment of my life!”). This year, aligned with the adult contemporary vibe of her new chapter, she sings from a secluded spot at Worthy Farm, providing a laid-back contrast to the chaos of the headliners on the main stage. For some artists, the stage presentation is an afterthought, but not for Olivia Dean. Her performances transform into a self-styled paradise; a dimly lit passage into the world of soulful music elevated by modern pop. It’s where performance, poetry, and enjoyment intersect. Drawing influence from The Supremes’ doo-wop brilliance, ‘70s disco goddesses, and the prowess of Stevie Nicks – complemented by an electrifying band completely in sync with their leader – Dean’s shows feel both sacred and euphoric.
“I love singing for people and I’ve always been conscious of how I want my audience to feel,” she states. “It’s very much centered on the music and the emotions linked to the songs.” While performing, Dean maintains an adaptable and spontaneous approach, often reducing songs to gentle whispers before expanding them again. “The set-up is straightforward yet impactful. There’s a segment of the show where I play songs on the piano, which allows the audience to connect with the ways these songs were crafted. Then, there’s a part where the entire band is in view, and I love them dearly. They are the most vital element of my artistry.”
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Dean’s social media is filled with real-time updates featuring snapshots and videos from her life on tour. You can witness her growing audience, increasingly devoted, echoing back her signature songs like ‘Dive’. This is a following captivated by an artist who has tapped into something joyful, universal, and latent. A notable track that sparks that connection between artist and audience is the soca-tinged ‘Carmen’ – dedicated to her Guyanese grandmother and the Windrush generation.
“I’m a product of her bravery,” Dean expressed during a British Library panel discussing 500 years of Black British Music. Originally crafted as a heartfelt tribute to the hope of a better life – intertwining feelings of alienation and belonging, as well as community and legacy – the song has resonated deeply since its release. “Performing ‘Carmen’ on this tour has been the song that has linked me most to people, inviting the most beautiful discussions about identity and heritage,” Dean reveals. “At one of my shows, a tall mixed-race boy in the front row held up his phone, which read: You make me feel comfortable to be mixed race. It felt like a private moment. It was incredibly moving.”
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Growing up in North London’s Haringey borough, Dean drew inspiration from icons like Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse, Carole
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Two years after her first album, the Brit School graduate returns with a soft, polished collection of soulful music. More mature and knowledgeable, yet still imperfect,