Olivia Dean Is Bringing Soul to Gen Z
The British musician—who is currently on tour with Sabrina Carpenter—shares the music she grew up with and what’s on her playlist now.
If you ever wanted to know who is on your favorite singer's playlist, or what albums inspired the latest “it girl” the most, tune in for Marie Claire’s resident music franchise Listen Up. In this interview series, we ask musicians about their listening habits and the specific records that informed their taste—and inherently their journey as an artist.
Upon first listen, Olivia Dean’s music sounds akin to an old record you might find in your grandmother’s record collection. But the British artist’s neo-soul music is very much contemporary, introducing the TikTok generation to classic, romantic sounds.
It makes sense: If there’s one thing Dean is searching for, it’s timelessness. “I'm drawn to making things that can last,” the 26-year-old singer tells Marie Claire over Zoom. “I think your job as a songwriter is to try to document a time and your story and make people feel things, but also leave something behind.”
The singer-songwriter, who broke out with her Mercury Prize-nominated debut, 2023’s Messy, attributes her interest in music that stands the test of time to when she first got into the craft, spending her days holed up in her bedroom covering Carole King or learning Amy Winehouse on the piano. “It's music that sits in no time other than its own, and that's what I'm trying to do,” she says. “I'm not really interested in trends or virality. I think I'm trying to make a legacy for myself.”
Olivia Dean released her sophomore album, The Art of Loving, on September 26.
That certainly comes through on her sophomore album, The Art of Loving, which dropped on September 26. Compiled of 12 retro-inspired songs that look at love from all angles, be it a source of comfort or heartbreak, it’s like a Gen Z take on the Great American Songbook.
“There was definitely a time where people were like, ‘Well, that's a bit,’ or, ‘That’s pastiche,’ or, ‘That feels dated. It's not fresh. It's not cool,’” the London-born musician recalls of her early days trying to break into the industry. “As soon as I stopped worrying about other people and just focused on making things that I would love to listen to, that's when I became free from those restraints.”
Dean’s intuition was right: After increasingly garnering a following following the release of Messy, The Art of Loving cracked the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. One of its singles, “Man I Need,” has also become a runaway success, marking her first entry into the Hot 100.
As the “Nice to Each Other” artist will soon bring her sultry sounds to stadiums across the U.S., opening for Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend tour, she shares what’s on her playlist, the female soul icons who raised her, and her own favorite love songs.
Carole King’s Tapestry. It's an excellent example of real, beautiful, simple, but also powerful songwriting that stands the test of time.
The first physical piece of music I bought was from The X Factor in the U.K. Leona Lewis had won The X Factor, and she did “A Moment Like This,” and that was the first CD I had. I came home and I played it again and again and again and again. That was the only one I had.
Back in the day, The X Factor was it. That's where we were getting our stars from.
[D'Angelo’s] Voodoo is one of the best albums ever made. No skips and sonically gorgeous. The way it's recorded, it feels so crispy and expensive.
Soul music has always been in my life. My mom introduced me to Lauryn Hill. My middle name is Lauren after Lauryn Hill. Angie Stone, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu—neo-soul is a world [that] exists for me in such a comfortable place. I really associated with being at home and being comfortable.
Jazz [was] more so later in life. Peers I met at school and people in my band were really into jazz, and I think that I was more exposed to that later. But soul has always been a part of my life.
I love going to shop for vinyl. If I have time off at home, my favorite thing to do is go down to my record shop and look at album covers and buy some, and then listen to them for the first time when I get home while I cook.
The same way that one might scroll on TikTok, I am on Spotify and Apple looking for stuff. There's nothing better than finding an old song or finding a song that you've never heard, and you're like, I love this. I'm a real crate digger, both online and physically. There's so much to be found there, and I think it's really important to develop your own taste in music and not just listen to what's being fed to you by streaming platforms. So I'm just very active in what I'm listening to.
The Motown era. I would've done great. I could have had really cool hair, bell-bottoms, and been on a real psychedelic vibe, but then also singing soul music. Maybe I would've been in a girl group.
“Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell. I mean, she could’ve just retired after that one.
“(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” [by Aretha Franklin]. I think that is a beautiful song, and that's such a beautiful way to put how love can make you feel. And, I mean, it's not really a positive one, but also “Love Is a Losing Game” by Amy Winehouse. It is, girl! I feel that sometimes it is, and I think that song is so heartbreaking and deeply romantic.
The album artwork for The Art of Loving.
When I supported [Sabrina Carpenter] in Hyde Park, she gave me a hat, and it says, “I'm working late because I'm a singer.” I love that hat. I can wear it because it's true.
The most important one for me was when I was in school, I got shown a video of Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo playing “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” in South Africa. It completely blew my mind. I was like, This is electric. Everybody's having such a good time. This music is so joyful and complicated, but simple. That performance really changed things for me.
It changes all the time, and there are so many different types of music I'd like to make with different people. I'd really love to spend some time in the Caribbean and make some music out there. I think the artist Chronixx is really cool right now. I’d love to do something with him in Jamaica.
If it’s a fantasy music festival, you could really get some greats in there. ABBA, Al Green, Beyoncé, Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Destiny’s Child. Doesn’t that sound like the best day ever?
I just got my license in this last year. I have a playlist for my car. It's called Driving Beans. [The cover photo is] Hello Kitty in her driving glasses. I love to drive to Usher. I feel like my car has a real auntie vibe in there. I'm really listening to the auntie tunes. And Charli xcx.
Disco or anything Beyoncé. I thought RENAISSANCE was incredible. RENAISSANCE was like a lightning bolt to my life. It made me get up and get to work.
“Move on Up” by Curtis Mayfield is good at a party. That can't really come on and go badly.
I have a lot on this new album that I'm really proud of. I really like, “Who would do that to a friend/Let alone the one you love,” [from “Let Alone The One You Love”]. I think that's a really powerful way of drawing people to think about how they treat other people. “You wouldn't do that to your best friend, so why would you do that to me? I'm supposed to be your best friend if you love me.” That one was quite healing to write, but a bit of a stab in the heart.
You have to go there. Otherwise, what's the point? There's no point—especially saying you're going to write an album about love and then just scratching the surface. I was like, I need to put my pride to the side and say, “Yeah, somebody has broken my heart,” or, “Yeah, it hasn't gone well for me,” or, “This person didn't want to fall in love with me.” You have to be brave.
“Real Love Baby” by Father John Misty.
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
