Nothing is Messy about Olivia Dean!

The singer’s debut album helps to underline her incredible talent.

By Joel Campbell

FEATURING SINGLES

Dive, Danger and UFO, Olivia Dean’s debut album Messy cements her as one of the most versatile voices in UK pop.

Crafting classic yet conversational hooks with genre-fluid tinges, she’s honed a way of exploring universal themes of love, loss, and everything in between, with razor-sharp but open-hearted storytelling.

Her latest single from the project, which drops on June 30, is Carmen, the album’s closing track and a love letter to her grandmother who moved to the UK as part of the Windrush Generation from her home country of Guyana.

On the track, Dean sings: ‘You transplanted a family tree, and a part of it grew into me’, an ode to her grandmother’s strength and the imprint she’s made on this island, as steel pan drums and horns fuse together to form a uniquely modern British backdrop.

She explains: “Carmen is a love letter to my granny, and an ode to the Windrush Generation. I wanted to write a song of celebration that encapsulated the beautiful cross-culture that was created by the Caribbean community in the UK.

“Steel pan is such a power- ful and emotional instrument for me, so having that feature throughout the song makes it that extra special.

“I am a product of her bravery, and I want her to be remembered forever.”

Born and raised in Walthamstow, Olivia Dean is one the UK’s brightest rising stars, praised for her endearing, down-to-earth lyrics and magnetic, feelgood live performances.

During the pandemic, Dean connected with fans by performing from the side of her bright yellow truck, which she toured in, offering free shows to communities around the UK.

Her first official gig back at the Camden Jazz Cafe sold out instantly and went on to be watched over seven million times after it went viral on Tiktok.

To date, Dean has released three acclaimed EPs, Ok Love You Bye What Am I Gonna Do On Sundays? and Growth, and in 2021 she achieved her first top 20 single with her cover of

The Christmas Song, recorded for Amazon Originals.

She recently announced a run of intimate acoustic performances, signings and Q&As across the UK in celebration of the release of Messy

This summer sees Dean headline a sold-out show at London’s Somerset House and play festivals including Glastonbury, Montreux Jazz Festival, Barn on the Farm and more.

On her upcoming album, we gain a refreshingly textured snapshot of a young woman embracing the beauty in freedom and acceptance of life, of love, of mess.

“Even with the sonics of the record, I’ve left a lot of sound in there, of talking, of the piano pedals,” Dean says, explaining the feel of Messy

“I like that it sounds human. On the title track, there’s a layer of me doing mouth trumpet sounds that was just meant to be a placeholder, and I was like, let’s just keep it! There’s no rules.”

She added; “I tried to just expel people’s voices from my mind about what I was supposed to make or what would be cool or what would be the most successful thing for me to make and made stuff that I want to listen to.”

TAKING CENTRE STAGE: Olivia Dean is a great live performer, and will feature at some of the biggest music festivals this summer (photo: Getty Images)