Gabby Miller | Head Editor
February 6, 2026
This past weekend, at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, British R & B and Pop singer and songwriter Olivia Dean won the title of Best New Artist. After releasing her second studio album, The Art of Loving in September, Dean’s fame has rapidly grown, reaching 58.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Many of Dean’s songs are trending on social media platforms, Instagram and TikTok, especially “Man I Need,” which has 699,553,581 streams on Spotify and 2.7 million videos on TikTok.
Dean brings a warm, upbeat vibe and is particularly popular amongst teenage girls. With love being her album’s main focus, her songs are perfect for any time- with your friends, your significant other, or secretly yearning by yourself. Sophomore and Olivia Dean stan, Mahault Du Halgoeut, was thrilled to see Dean win the award as she “deserves to be celebrated because she creates such unique and endearing music.” Dean is authentic and her lyrics are relatable and catchy, explaining why so many people love her music. Many describe Dean’s music as a nice break from the rise of rap.
Not only does Dean use her voice to produce amazing music, but at the Grammys she used her voice to speak out against ICE and immigration policy. Dean explained how she is “a granddaughter of an immigrant [and] wouldn’t be [where she is now]” without her and the other immigrants, praising them for their “bravery” and believing that they too, “deserve to be celebrated.” In such a divided world, it is so important that celebrities and artists use their platforms like Dean to speak out for what they believe and for those who do not have the voices to themselves. It’s one of the many things about Dean that makes her so likable.
Senior Nicole Valdez appreciated “her speech and the nice message where she acknowledged her background, especially in this time of political polarization” and found Dean’s award “inspiring not only for people of color but also immigrants in general.” Valdez also brought up the “unnecessary hate” Dean is receiving over people on the internet who are mad she beat other artists like sombr and Addison Rae. However, Dean’s streaming numbers, audio uses, and followers are just a few reasons that prove she is worthy of the title Best New Artist. Dean’s music brings good vibes and can be enjoyed by everyone, and there is no reason why Dean does not deserve the award she won at the Grammys this past weekend.
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