Olivia Dean just won Best New Artist at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. Since the release of her debut album Messy in 2023, Dean has moved from rising voice in British R&B to one of the genre’s most visible new stars. Her follow-up record, The Art of Loving, pushed that momentum further, pairing warm, soul-rooted vocals with modern pop instincts that connected across audiences beyond the R&B scene.
In her Grammy acceptance speech, Dean highlighted the immigrant communities that defined her story. “I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant,” she says. “I’m a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to be celebrated.” Dean is of Caribbean and English descent.
Last year’s Best New Artist winner, Chappell Roan, presented Dean with the Grammy. All eight nominees — Leon Thomas, Katseye, The Marías, Addison Rae, sombr, Alex Warren, and Lola Young — took to the stage throughout the night. Highlights ranged from Rae performing “Fame Is a Gun” while riding in the back of a truck to Katseye’s televised set of “Gnarly,” which aired with noticeable lyric changes, and Dean’s high-energy performance of “Man I Need.”
The Grammys continue to position Best New Artist as a launchpad for up-and-coming artists, often spotlighting performers whose careers already amassed a strong following. The Recording Academy also updated eligibility rules once again. A screening committee still decides whether nominees meet the required level of “breakthrough or prominence,” while a new exception now allows artists who appeared on Album of the Year-nominated projects to qualify, as long as their contributions stayed under 20 percent of the album’s total runtime.
