Yesterday (February 1, 2026), Olivia Dean won the award for Best New Artist at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. As Pitchfork’s Jazz Munroe says, she was propelled by her album, The Art of Loving, whose title is inspired by bell hooks’s eponymous book.
Sarah Grossbart (E! News) celebrated her win, writing that “No doubt Olivia Dean has perfected the art of writing a good love song,” adding that “the 26-year-old British neo-soul singer has been at this for more than a decade.”
Sarah González and Alli Rosenbloom (CNN) in “Bad Bunny uses Grammy Award win to protest ICE,” mentioned that, along with Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, and others, the best new artist winner also made “a politically-tinged statement on stage.”
“The British singer and songwriter, who has Caribbean roots, acknowledged during her acceptance speech that she is the ‘granddaughter of an immigrant.’ [. . .] ‘I’m a product of bravery, and I think that those people deserve to be celebrated,’ she said. ‘We’re nothing without each other.’”
According to Eleanor Stanford (The New York Times), Dean credits her upbringing for her strength and resolve, having learned that anything she wanted to do was possible— her mother was the first Black woman to become deputy leader of a British political party (the feminist Women’s Equality Party). The singer also acknowledges that growing up listening to her Jamaican and Guyanese mother’s musical choices (such as Lauryn Hill) and her British father’s Al Green, Steely Dan and reggae tracks influenced her style.
For an article on Olivia Dean, visit https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/arts/music/olivia-dean.html
Also see https://www.billboard.com/music/features/olivia-dean-grammys-2026-best-new-artist-1236170594/, https://pitchfork.com/news/olivia-dean-wins-best-new-artist-at-2026-grammys/ and https://www.eonline.com/news/1428058/who-is-olivia-dean-grammys-2026-best-new-artist-winner
[Photo above by VALERIE MACON / AFP via Getty Images.]
Yesterday (February 1, 2026), Olivia Dean won the award for Best New Artist at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. As Pitchfork’s Jazz Munroe says, she was propelled by her album, The Art of Loving, whose title is inspired by bell hooks’s eponymous book. Sarah Grossbart (E! News) celebrated her win, writing that “No doubt Olivia Dean has
