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.
Label-Mate Legends Step Back in Time
BBC Radio 2’s festival in Hyde Park last weekend featured headliner, Kylie Minogue singing some selections from Golden, and some Kylie classics of course, to a massive crowd of (reportedly) 60,000. Jason Donovan joined Kylie on stage during “Especially for You,” and in another feel-good musical moment, Rick Astley and his still-phenomenal voice stepped out in front of a welcoming audience to sing “Never Gonna Give You Up,” and Kylie’s “I Should Be So Lucky,” with his former PWL label mate. Their harmony at “… gonna play/And if you ask me how I’m feeling” delivers all the feels. It’s a fun return to 1987 and the “hit factory” days, plus a reminder that true talent stands the test of time.
George Michael: Pop-Music Idol. Lasting Legend.
As lead singer of Wham! in the early ‘80s, George Michael, along with Andrew Ridgeley, initially delivered pop songs that incorporated an (early) rap-sound sensibility. Certainly more Wham!-glam than gangsta, songs and corresponding videos for “Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do),” “Bad Boys” and “Young Guns (Go For It)” embraced (late-teen) rebellion and counter-culture independence. They featured George as the rebellious protagonist, hell (or heck) bent on breaking free from the expected 9 - 5 job and (the “Young Guns” lyric) “death by matrimony,” with Andrew’s character often portrayed as the one George’s needed to save from a life of cookie-cutter boredom. This trio of songs/videos walked a fine line, creating a (not-so) underlying homoerotic subtext, with George’s character seemingly enamored with Andrew’s. Besides this (latent) longing, gay iconography played heavily in these videos too, such as black leather jackets, tight jeans, and aviator glasses—a look that George would don again through his 1987 Faith period.
George later commented on the preoccupation with image over musical chops in “Freedom! ’90”; the video purposely didn’t feature the singer, unheard of at that time, especially considering his popularity, good looks, and sex appeal to both men and women. The video used supermodels instead to lip-sync the lyrics, and also showed his leather jacket ablaze, signifying the death of what was seen as a distraction to George’s wanting to be considered an artist with substance: “Sometimes the clothes do not make the man.”
Although George had his own model good looks, his absence from some of his videos helped refocus listeners to how great of a vocalist he was. George’s cover of Queen’s “Somebody to Love” at Freddie Mercury’s tribute concert at London’s Wembley Stadium is one of George’s finest vocal offerings, hitting remarkable notes, with an energy that turns heartbreaking lyrics into something hopeful. In the mid- to late-‘90s, George released “Fastlove” and for his greatest-hits collection released “Outside,” an ode to “love” in the outdoors, written in response to his arrest at a public bathroom. In 2008, he was on a worldwide retrospective tour, and this clip of “Everything She Wants” from Earl’s Court in London captures George’s calm command of the stage, with the ecstatic audience participation confirming his impact on a generation. This past Christmas saw the passing of the singer. He was only 53.
“Outside”: George took (life) lemons and made (musical) lemonade. He had the moves, and this clip showcases the genius of George:
Where the Wild Roses Glow: Kylie Minogue at Hyde Park Festival
As the headliner at the British Summer Time festival in London’s Hyde Park, pop royalty Kylie Minogue seemed to have a certain glow, as evidenced in the four-minute video below, which features compiled footage from the huge outdoor event, with a remix of “On a Night Like This” as the soundtrack. Donning a crown, accessorized by a base of red roses (maybe that was the reason for the luminous sparkle), she looked excited and energized. Perhaps the obvious joy was due to a revised, refreshed set list, instead of the one she recently used on her Kiss Me Once tour.
Back were the signature hits, as well as some ‘80s covers (Kim Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes,” complete with ‘80s photo-shoot-inspired video backdrop; Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration,” as she donned a Xanadu-tastic shiny gold jumpsuit to set the tone). She did keep one Kiss Me Once song, “Into the Blue,” which closes the show and finds Kylie sporting a black, beautifully tailored coat. If Kiss Me Once was winter, Kylie looked like she was ready for summer.