Olivia Dean: Just Who We Need
If you were on Instagram in late-summer 2025, it didn’t take long to hear the retro-inspired, yet fresh, new sound from British pop/neo-soul singer, Olivia Dean. After hearing mere snippets, it was a must for me to start delving into Dean’s previous work and current promotional material to learn more about, and hear more from, this artist who exudes an authentic love for what she does. Here are just a few performances from Dean that prove she is exactly who we need in music, now, into 2026, and beyond.
Dive In
Appearing on the Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2024, Dean and her band deliver a jazzier version of the track, “Dive,” from her 2023 debut album, Messy. Dean’s vocal showcases a maturity well beyond her years. Even how she performs is polished, particularly for someone so young; take note of how she gracefully uses her hands to sell some of the lyrics (“I’m a tidal wave of question marks, and you’re just surfing”; “Maybe it’s the magic in the wine”). And through her playful moves at the mic stand, and overall aura, she reminds you that she’s “feeling beautified.” Let this performance of “Dive” wash over you.
Spot(ify) On
The phrase, “breakout hit” definitely applies to Dean’s “Man I Need,” the catchy single that almost seems to be the audio equivalent of a strut. The flirty track captures the early stages of romantic interest, when one is wondering, and wanting to discover more, about the other. In the clip below, Dean and the guys perform at the Spotify Music Studios’ Live Room in Los Angeles, for an intimate performance, filled, in part, with Dean delivering the joy and excitement that comes with new love.
Nice and Easy (Listening)
With “Nice to Each Other,” there’s something about this song, perhaps it’s the pacing, the bass line, and/or the start of its second verse (“Meet me on the mountaintop/I’ll be in the shallow end”) that evoke a smooth Fleetwood Mac feel. In the below concert clip, Dean (channeling a bit of windblown, late ’70s-era Diana Ross and a tambourine-playing Stevie Nicks) performed the single at the Shepherds Bush Empire venue in London, to a crowd of fans singing along to every lyric, months before her second album, The Art of Loving, was released, solidifying that Dean’s popularity was rising quickly.
Safe to say: Dean is music’s newest superstar. (She really should just start picking out her GRAMMY-night dress.) Hope you enjoyed this sampling of clips that demonstrates Dean’s refreshing, and rare, ability to sound just as great live as she does on recordings. The Art of Loving is out now, and be sure to check out Dean’s newest single, and video for, the Bacharach/Warwick-inspired, “So Easy (To Fall In Love),” where she plays a modern-day cupid. To extend the Bacharach/Warwick connection: “What the world needs now is love, sweet love,” as well as the sweet sound of 2025’s best new artist, Olivia Dean.
Pop Playlist: Fleetwood Mac: “Over My Head”
“But it sure feels nice” is not just a lyric from Fleetwood Mac’s 1975 single, “Over My Head,” but essentially the subsequent end result after every listening session. The distinct, soothing lead-vocal style of the band’s keyboardist, Christine McVie is always a comfort to the ears, even as she sings of the lows of love, and the realization of being in a relationship with someone who’s not reciprocating what’s deserved: “Your mood is like a circus wheel/You’re changing all time.” McVie’s lyrics capture that struggle between head and heart in a simple, yet creative manner.
Rumour Has It: Fleetwood Mac: “Don’t Stop” is About…
Written by Fleetwood Mac keyboardist, Christine McVie, 1977’s “Don’t Stop” was featured on the band’s legendary album, Rumours. The track could possibly be one of the most positive and encouraging songs ever penned… about divorce. (In particular, Christine from her husband, Fleetwood Mac bassist, John McVie… personally, not professionally.) When she takes the lead on the second verse, it’s all about the magic of her signature husky voice: “Why not think about times to come/And not about the things that you’ve done/If your life was bad to you/Just think what tomorrow will do.”
Dripping with optimism, Christine simply says that if your life (personal relationships and then some) has been bad, that’s all in the past. Just think what tomorrow can do; there’s always the potential for something positive. The duo and the rest of the band members ended up working and touring together for decades, with the song notably becoming a political anthem for Bill Clinton in the ‘90s.
Other Pop Zeal picks, featuring Christine on lead: “You Make Lovin’ Fun”; “Say You Love Me”; “Everywhere”; the tender “Songbird.”