My New Year’s Resolution: To Listen to More Olivia Dean

As I reflect on this past year, there is one album that has continued to touch me in profound ways with every new listen. The Art of Loving by emerging Pop artist Olivia Dean, took the world by storm after its release at the end of September. In just three short months, the album topped the U.K. charts and reached Top 10 in the Billboard ranks in the United States. Coming just two years after Dean’s debut album Messy, The Art of Loving connects with listeners through the realities of romantic love, the joys of platonic love, and the challenging, yet beautiful growth that we experience as human beings through the highs and lows of this roller coaster ride called life. 

Over the course of 34 minutes, which is rather short for the typical modern album, Olivia Dean provides a soulful and dynamic collection of 12 songs that speak to listeners through a refreshingly vulnerable lens. Too often, we stray away from music that walks the line between emotional uncomfortability and unspoken truths, but Dean tackles both head-on through masterful lyricism and diverse melodies. 

You want a song about friendship, try “I’ve Seen It”. A song about feeling behind in life, try “Baby Steps”. A song about trusting yourself, try “Lady, Lady”. A song for the independent lovers, try “Nice to Each Other” or “Something Inbetween”. Or, for all of you hopeless romantics out there, try “So Easy (To Fall in Love)” or “Man I Need”. And, without forgetting the skeptics of the world, give “Let Alone The One You Love” a listen. Dean offers something for anyone and everyone with her masterpiece of an album. She reminds us that all of existence can be beautiful: change, intimacy, loss, pain, connection, and most of all, love.

Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, Carole King, The Supremes and Amy Winhouse, The Art of Loving possesses acoustic qualities with touches of classic soul, R&B and jazz sprinkled throughout. Over the course of her career, Dean has cited Lauryn Hill, Sade, Al Green and Bill Withers as some of her major inspirations as a musician. Throughout her childhood, Dean’s parents often played Motown artists in their home, which influenced her musical style from an early age. And, even her middle name, Lauryn, is an homage to Lauryn Hill herself. So, if you haven’t heard the 1998 album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, definitely add it to your queue after you’ve heard The Art of Loving.

When I think about music as an art form, I am filled with gratitude for what Olivia Dean has done for the music industry with her creative work. Her artistry shines through in The Art of Loving, but so does her emotional intelligence and worldly awareness as a human being. To create art that is personal to not only listeners in general, but to each individual listener is a daunting task. But Dean has done so with grace, humility and an incredible sense of empathy.

I now own The Art of Loving on vinyl, which has only strengthened my opinion that Olivia Dean is undoubtedly an emerging artist to keep your eye on and that her studio album was the best release of 2025. As the needle of my Victrola Hawthorne works its way seamlessly along the grooves of Dean’s record, traversing the vast landscape of passion, I remain utterly captivated by her tone and timeless presence. The only experience that could possibly be better than hearing the unmatched musical quality of Olivia Dean on vinyl, would be hearing her perform live. 

That being said, the North American tour Olivia Dean: The Art of Loving Live begins July 10th in San Francisco, California and wraps up August 28th in Austin, Texas. Though concert tickets can be pricey, this is one that could be worth every penny folks. But, if you’re a college student balling on a budget like me, perhaps start with buying The Art of Loving on vinyl first.