Olivia Dean: From Self-Learning Guitar To Winning Grammy's Best New Artist

British singer Olivia Dean won a Grammy for Best New Artist 2026. The 26-year-old looked genuinely emotional as she accepted the coveted award. "I never really imagined I'd be up here," she expressed. "I'm up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant. I'm a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated."

It was a breakthrough moment for the London- born artiste, whose sophomore album, The Art of Loving ruled social media in 2025, with tracks like "Man I Need", "A Couple Minutes" and "So Easy. (To Fall In Love)".

Who Is Olivia Dean?

Olivia Dean's music has become an earworm on TikTok. She entered the music industry by teaching herself guitar and piano as a teenager, performing at London's South Bank, and attending the prestigious BRIT School, which she joined at 15. After catching the attention of her manager at a graduation concert, she began her career as a backing singer for Rudimental. 

In 2021, Olivia was named the Breakthrough Artist of the Year by Amazon Music, and in November 2023, she was selected as BBC Music Introducing Artist of the Year.

Her 2025 single "Man I Need" reached number one on the UK singles chart and alongside the songs "Nice to Each Other", "So Easy (To Fall in Love)", and "Rein Me In" made her the first female solo artist to simultaneously have four singles in the top 10 of the chart. 

What sets Olivia apart is that she didn’t hit with one viral clip and disappear. She worked her way up with EPs, collaborations, festival sets, and a growing fan base who genuinely connect with her lyrics and voice.