If you aren’t already familiar with singer Olivia Dean, you’re about to be. Since the summer, the British-born darling has been lighting up the music and fashion scenes with catchy singles and captivating stage looks, and this fall she’ll be opening for Sabrina Carpenter in Pittsburgh, New York, and Nashville.
Today, the singer releases her second studio album, The Art of Loving, on which the 26-year-old pop star dives deeper into the world of love. The first single, “Nice to Each Other,” was an instant hit with Gen Z, who was both electrified by her (possible) allusions to a certain superstar ex-lover and empowered by the vulnerability of her lyrics.
In a conversation with Vogue, Dean talks about her inspirations, her favorite looks from tour, and what she plans on doing the second she gets a chance to go on holiday.
Vogue: The Art of Loving is your second studio album, and you’ve said it’s lighter and more fun than your debut album, Messy. Can you describe how your headspace changed from one album to the next?
Olivia Dean: I think generally, as a person, I’m more centered and in touch with myself than I was two years ago. This album, I would like to think, has an emotional maturity that I’ve really been working on developing in myself. I would never claim to know it all. I’m not saying I know everything about love, guys. I’m trying to work on myself and learn and be a better person, and I think that was all through writing these songs. So yeah, I think I’m just older—and hopefully a little bit wiser.
And what were some of your inspirations for this album?
So many. I’m somebody that is such a sponge for things. I love art in many different forms. I was listening to a lot of vinyl and crate-digging, and listening to a lot of Brazilian music. There’s also always a lot of reggae music, and I listen to a lot of Ethiopian music and Fleetwood Mac. I really also got into more guitar-y music. There’s a singer I love called Alice Phoebe Lou—I’m always listening to her. I love her lyrics and the spirituality and emotional intelligence in her writing.
I was also going to a lot of exhibitions. I went to this exhibition called All About Love in LA, actually, which inspired the kind of theme for the album, and this amazing Brazilian modernism exhibition in London where I saw this specific painting. I took all the colors from that painting for the color palette for the vinyl.
“Nice to Each Other” was your first single from the new album, and it’s blown up on TikTok and social media and introduced your music to a new crowd. How did you decide that the song should be the introduction to The Art of Loving?
I wanted to start with something fun—something that felt flirty but also meaningful, which I feel is me in a package. And I think it’s a good introduction to the world of the theme of love. Before you even get into love, you get into dating, and you start to navigate that space. And that space is a scary place right now, just from speaking to friends and dipping my toe into it. It’s crazy out there. People are crazy. What are we doing? So I feel like I needed to remind everybody that we can still treat each other like people and not dash each other’s hearts about.
This summer you were on your Across the Atlantic Tour, and in October you’ll be supporting Sabrina Carpenter. Are there things you learned that you might implement when you’re back on tour for Sabrina?
That’s a good question. I think it’s nice to just be back in the swing of playing shows frequently again. I’m learning that creating a really comfortable space in the room is really important for the songs to breathe in the room, and for people to enjoy them. I’m really enjoying finding that really delicate balance between real sincerity and emotion, and then having a laugh—and I think that’s something that Sabrina does really beautifully.
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Long and beautiful gowns have become a feature of your stage look. Do you have any favorite looks you’ve worn on tour this summer or at any festivals?
I mean, I love them all. I get to wear the most beautiful clothes. I’m very lucky. I got to wear this stunning McQueen, kind of bird-like dress in Toronto that was just gorgeous to move in. I felt like Cha-Cha in Grease, and I loved it. And another favorite—oh gosh—there was a really beautiful dress I also wore in Toronto by a brand called Erdem, and it felt like a fairytale princess, with a petticoat underneath. When do you get to wear a petticoat?
Do you have a checklist of what a tour look must or mustn’t have? Does it have to be comfortable or shine under the stage lights?
I think it’s got to do one of a number of things. I don’t think it can ever do all the things. But for me, it’s got to sparkle. If it sparkles, that’s the job done. Or it’s got to have an interesting shape and influence the way that I move. Or it needs to—just on a base level—make me feel really confident and beautiful and comfortable. I don’t think I perform well if I feel uncomfortable. I need to feel beautiful to be my best self. But yes, I love sparkles.
What are you most looking forward to doing after your album is out?
Well, it will be September. Maybe I’ll go on holiday over Christmas. I’d really love to go back to Brazil. I have a lot of love for Brazil. I would love to go to Carnival and really just leave it all in the street at my feet.
I love that. And do you plan on staying in London, or do you want to eventually settle somewhere else?
It’s really interesting you asked that. I was actually having that conversation yesterday and talking about all the things I’d love to do with my life. London is somewhere that is so important to me and where all my friends and my family are, but I see myself in New York, maybe, for a period of time. I feel like New York is my vibe. I want that Sex and the City life. So maybe—we’ll see.
Do you have anything else you want to share with your fans about your new album?
I just hope that people listen to it with intention and from front to back. If you have the time, maybe put on headphones and go for a walk. Take it all in, girl.
This conversation has been edited and condensed
