Music news: Grammy award winner Olivia Dean hits the road, Sam Fender collab in the spotlight
Olivia Dean’s new album, ‘The Art of Loving’, which was released in September 2025, is ready to take centre stage.
Wednesday, April 22 marks the opening date of her album tour beginning in Glasgow, taking on arenas across the UK and EU.
Music News Blitz’s Olivia Carolan discusses the highs of Dean's career.
The breakthrough
‘The Art of Loving’ tour begins on Wednesday with 23 performances and four supporting acts of emerging talent – Kokoroko, Alice Phoebe Lou, Jalen Ngonda and Sasha Keable.
Since Dean’s release of her new album and collaboration with the rock artist Sam Fender, ‘Rein Me In’, her career has significantly progressed.
She has won multiple awards for her new album, including a Grammy for Best New Artist, marking a milestone in her success – as well as four BRIT awards, one being shared with Sam Fender.
Artists such as Billie Eilish and Chappell Roan have won this grammy in recent years and it seems that all three of the female artists careers have only skyrocketed since.
From playing small intimate shows and festivals with few audiences, she is now selling out her very own headlining arena tour.
Slow burn success
Her slow burn success began in 2019 with the release of her EP, ‘Ok Love You Bye’, and has since experimented with numerous genres, from neo-soul to R&B and eventually finding her love for pop music.
Dean has released five EPs and two studio albums over the past seven years, and her hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Her past album in 2023, ‘Messy’, despite its fan favourite, hadn’t won any awards – her success did not occur overnight.
However, her new album reached the top charts in multiple countries, lingering at the top for several weeks.
This album reset her career.
Collaborations
Extending her reach beyond her own, Olivia Dean has collaborated with multiple artists, maximising her success and falling into more than just her own loyal fan base.
In the early years of her career in 2022, she featured on Loyle Carner's album ‘Hugo’, for his song ‘Homerton’, merging together their similar styles of personal and reflective experiences.
Moving beyond just music, she has also created a single specifically for the most recent film of ‘Bridget Jones’, called ‘It Isn’t Perfect but It Might Be’.
It featured on the film as the leading single, exploring themes of love and grief.
Reaching the top charts, Olivia Dean Collaborated with rockstar Sam Fender, ‘Rein Me In’, a cultural shift for not only both of their careers but also the UK music industry.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Music news: A new era for Blossoms with new single ‘Joke About Divorce’
Remarkable duo
The remarkable duo performed their song live together during Sam Fender's ‘People Watching’ tour where Dean joined as a supporting act too in huge spaces such as St James Park, Newcastle.
Despite this being her first headlining arena tour, she is not shy to immense crowds.
Blending their personal sounds together, the collaboration explored deep lyrics exploring themes of love.
Olivia Dean had free creative range – she chose the song ‘Rein Me In’ from Fender’s 2025 ‘People Watching’ album and wrote her own verse, producing a dual narrative for the song.
Driving commercial success and gaining an increased diverse audience, collaborations seem to be the triumph of today's music scene - from discovering artists to finally hearing two of your favourite artists together.
Olivia Dean’s sound
Olivia Dean's new album was inspired by Bell Hooks book ‘All About Love.’
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, she discussed the role of love, telling them: “For some reason, it’s seen as this mystical, untouchable thing that were all supposed to just have a go at and figure out.”
Throughout her career, her dynamic range and lyrical depth have focused on her own experiences and the personal relationships from her own life.
She resonates with her audience, singing about themes that everyone will have experienced in their own life.
Despite her slow burn success, she has entered the mainstream music industry.
As she begins her tour, she stays still in the spotlight. But how long can she endure this?
Upcoming UK dates
22 April – Glasgow – OVO Hydro
23 April – Glasgow – OVO Hydro
25 April – Manchester – Co-op Live
26 April – Manchester – Co-op Live
29 April – London – The 02
30 April – London – The 02
1 May – London – The 02
2 May – London – The 02
11 June – London – The 02
12 June – London – The 02
READ NEXT: Inside Leeds underground: The grassroot venues keeping music alive in 2026
