Olivia Dean has been grabbing the headlines after being named Billboard's 2025 Rookie of the Year. Amid this, know more about the 'The Art of Loving' singer and her relationships.
The year 2025 has introduced us to a number of amazing artists, among whom is British singer-songwriter, Olivia Dean. She initially entered the pop music scene in 2023 with her debut album, Messy. Although it earned her a loyal fanbase in her home country, the U.K., her recognition in the United States was limited. However, in the past year, Olivia has quickly grown into a leading artist who showcases not only her talent but also her determination.
Fuelled by her success, Olivia Dean was recently recognised by Billboard as the 2025 Rookie of the Year. To top it off, making a great start to 2026, her second album, titled The Art of Loving, has been topping the Official U.K. Albums Chart for the fifth non-consecutive week. With the constant spotlight on the singer owing to her newfound achievement, many of her fans have started to wonder more about her. If you are one of them, here's everything we have found out about one of the most exciting new voices in music, Olivia Dean.
Olivia Lauryn Dean was born on March 14, 1999, in the London Borough of Haringey, England. She was raised in Walthamstow by an English father and a Jamaican-Guyanese mother. Something most people might not be aware of is that Olivia’s middle name was given to her by her parents, inspired by the legendary hip-hop and soul music sensation, Lauryn Hill. Eventually, Lauryn also ended up influencing Olivia’s own musical journey.
When she was only 15 years old, Olivia was accepted into the renowned BRIT School, which led her to make a three-hour round-trip daily. Talking about her passion to go there, Olivia, in a conversation with the BBC, revealed that she “wanted to go there like hell or high water.” At the time, Olivia started here by studying theatre; however, as she has always loved music, she later switched to songwriting. In fact, she even pursued her mother to buy her a piano, albeit a second-hand one.
According to reports, Olivia Dean started writing songs as a teenager. At 16, she taught herself how to play several musical instruments, including the guitar and piano. It was Olivia's graduation concert at her school, which caught the attention of her now-manager, Emily Braham. Eventually, Emily was the one who got Olivia an audition with Rudimental, which landed her the spotlight as one of their backup singers. This officially marked the beginning of Olivia's professional career in the music industry. In 2018, Olivia Dean spoke to Wonderland magazine about her musical inspirations. Here, she dropped the names of the likes of Lauryn Hill, Angie Stone, Jill Scott, Reggae, Amy Carol King, and more. She also added the names of Adele and Amy Winehouse, both of whom are alumni of the BRIT School, which she attended.
In 2023, Olivia Dean released her debut album titled Messy, which began to gain her wider recognition. It is worth noting that the album got her shortlisted for the Mercury Prize in the Album of the Year category. Eventually, Olivia released her second album, The Art of Loving, on September 26, 2025, which became her breakthrough. Featuring hit singles like Nice to Each Other, Lady Lady, and Man I Need, the album has also been topping the Billboard 200 charts since its release.
Apart from her music, Olivia Dean has also grabbed everyone's attention for the A-list men she has been with. For one, in August 2024, she sparked romance rumours with singer, Harry Styles. According to reports, at the time the duo were spotted together at a Five Guys, a burger restaurant in London. Olivia and Harry were spotted again a month later, in September of the same year, when they attended the Kalorama festival together. At the time, a source close to the rumoured couple told The Sun:
“Harry and Olivia have known each other for a while. They have loads in common with their music taste and are enjoying getting to know each other out of the spotlight.”
However, eventually, things seemed to fizzle out pretty quickly between Olivia and Harry. In fact, their being spotted in public also became an increasingly rare occurrence. This led many of her fans to wonder whether the pair had been platonic to begin with, despite media reports suggesting otherwise. It is worth noting that later, a different source told the Daily Mail that “Harry and Olivia are just good friends.” Also, neither Harry nor Olivia has ever publicly confirmed their relationship.
Soon after she seemed to have gone her separate ways from Harry, Olivia sparked dating rumours for the second time in April 2025. However, this time it was with a drummer named Eddie Burns. The duo were first spotted arriving in Wimbledon hand in hand in July 2025. However, many fans believed they were dating since April of the same year because that was when Olivia and Eddie began connecting frequently on Instagram. Despite appearing to be going strong even in 2026, Olivia has never commented on her relationship with Eddie. However, she did talk about her views on love back in October 2025. During an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Olivia stated:
"I used to have a very black-and-white view of love. Either we’re together, and we’re going to get married, or we’re not together anymore, and you’re dead to me. Never speak to me again. I realised that that’s not quite realistic. There’s so much in-between to be had…Romantic love is not the most important thing in my life, and I don’t think that’s cynical to say. I love my friends, I love my family. There’s so much to pour into there."
What are your thoughts on Olivia Dean being named the 2025 Rookie of the Year by Billboard?