Few modern artists embody the value of patience like Olivia Dean, whose rise is a lesson in letting potential unfold in its own time. The London-raised singer made headlines overnight as she scooped the coveted best new artist award at the 2026 Grammys, the first time a British name has won since 2019 (Dua Lipa) and just the fifth this century following Amy Winehouse (2008), Adele (2009), and Sam Smith (2015).
Sunday’s (Feb. 1) win became a crowning moment for Dean, capping off the stratospheric success of her second LP The Art Of Loving and cementing her place on the world stage after over a half a decade spent steadily building her craft.
A victory like this is hard won, whatever form it takes – but it feels particularly emboldening to see the prize go to an act that has been well and truly put in the yards. Arguably, there was a moment five years ago where Dean’s career appeared to be in a state of limbo. At the start of 2021, the now 26-year-old topped dozens of U.K. outlets’ ‘Ones to Watch’ lists, buoyed by a fresh signing with EMI that promised to amplify her soul-pop sound and bring her music to a wider audience.
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The previous summer, in what eventually transpired to be a shrewd move, Dean travelled the U.K. in a bright yellow truck with her name painted on the side, performing mini-gigs in seaside towns. Footage from this trek shows that the crowds were often sparse – and the shows held in rather unconventional venues, including a prawn restaurant – reflecting a period when Dean was still shaping her artist identity.
She discussed her feminist upbringing in interviews and tested out various musical approaches and collaborations to see what resonated, but even in these early, explorative moments, her willingness to embrace both the successes and the missteps along the way was admirable. Signs of promise were there.
Dean’s third EP Growth, released in July 2021, performed well on streaming services but didn’t translate into widespread recognition, or cultivate a dedicated fanbase. By then, she’d been releasing music for three years, yet it would become clear that lockdown had stalled her live momentum; over time, touring allowed Dean to hone her sound, drawing critical praise and revealing the full force of her talent and charisma with a mega-watt stage presence.
Yet her fortunes began to change following the sleeper success of 2023 debut LP Messy. You could pinpoint a number of breakthrough moments from that era: a Mercury Prize ceremony performance, which the crowd received with an increasing feeling of rapture; dedicating a rendition of her song “Carmen” at Glastonbury to immigrants and the Windrush generation; an electrifying three-night Hammersmith Apollo residency that was immortalised in a live EP.
As her live credentials racked up, with Dean visibly more assured and radiant in herself, stardom was soon hers for the taking. Messy hit the top five on the Official UK Albums Chart, while the visibility she was gaining became amplified by her contribution (“It Isn’t Perfect But It Might Be”) to the Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy soundtrack, her first top 40 hit on the Official UK Singles Chart. By the time she began work on The Art of Loving, Dean was certainly benefiting from heightened mainstream recognition, giving her the platform and confidence to push her sound further and reach new creative heights — bringing fuller, more cinematic instrumentation into her melodies.
With “Man I Need” now propelling her toward a potential No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and a major arena tour in the works, on paper, Dean’s trajectory in the past year reads almost too incomprehensible to grasp — bordering on surreal. But behind her ascent lies a solid foundation built over years of careful work; for newer artists and their teams, there’s a lesson in how Dean was able to embrace making mistakes along the way, refining her sound through a series of considered EP drops prior to her first full-length record. When the spotlight finally found Dean, she was ready to step into it fully formed.
Looking at the list of Grammy 2026 wins for artists from the U.K., several parallels can be drawn between the rise of Dean and her contemporaries. Fellow BRIT School graduate Lola Young dabbled in multiple genres across five extended releases before her hit song “Messy,” which landed best pop vocal performance, took on a life of its own. Having landed a deal with Island at 18, both Young and her label held firm in their faith in her artist proposition, even if the payoff took almost seven years.
Celebrations are also in order for Yungblud, who has previously told Billboard U.K. about feeling overlooked or misunderstood by critics, as he collected the gong for best rock performance for his rendition of Black Sabbath’s “Changes” at Ozzy Osbourne’s Back to the Beginning farewell concert. Four studio albums in, the rocker is currently hitting a fresh commercial peak with double-LP Idols, a love-letter to the rock music he grew up adoring, proving that artistic risk-taking and persistence can ultimately outlast skepticism.
In her moving acceptance speech, FKA Twigs, winner of best dance/electronic album for Eusexua, reinforced the importance of allowing artists to flourish on their own terms. “I know that to a lot of people I may be new, but I’ve actually been doing this a really long time,” she told the Grammys audience, referring to her 14-year journey. “So to any artist: Don’t give up, follow your vision, do you — because that’s what’s going to make the world fall in love with your art.”
All of these names form a new generation of British acts reaching unprecedented heights together, pushing forward a culture of growth and shared triumph. Dean’s story in particular speaks to what can be achieved when talent is nurtured and given the space and time to realise their vision. For any artists following in her wake, the future feels wide open.
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