Olivia Dean: “I’m obsessed with love. I’m crazy about it!”
The 26-year-old Londoner Olivia Deanof an English father and mother of Caribbean origin, after having released a handful of singles and EPs he made his long-distance debut with the album “Messy” in June 2023, immediately making headlines, climbing the British sales charts to a prestigious number four position. But what are we talking about? Soul, neo-soul, pop soul. Even a splash of jazz. Good labels to contextualize and direct the reader, the best advice (as always) is to listen to his songs and form your own opinion. Let it be known that you say you are inspired by rather high-sounding names such as Amy Winehouse, Carole King And Lauryn Hill. His is music that smells of the past, but good for the future.
Last week Olivia released her second album, “The Art of Loving”. The leap forward, in terms of numbers, for the English girl is clear: first position achieved in her native Great Britain, but not only that, in addition to Scotland and Ireland, countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Holland have also rewarded her with the top of the rankings. In the United States the album entered the Top Ten directly. This exploit was rather predictable after the appreciation – if not the success – of the singles that anticipated the album’s release: “Man I need”, “Lady lady” And “Nice to each other”. At home, Olivia’s feat is considered double because the first position in the chart achieved by the album was also accompanied by the first position in the singles chart achieved by “Man I need”.
The songs on the album, as the title suggests, “The Art of Loving”talk about love and its many facets, Olivia, in this regard, says: “I don’t think it’s a cynical thing to say but I don’t think that love is just magic that happens to us, I’m convinced that we need to invest time in it, it’s something that shapes itself, it’s like playing an instrument or acquiring any other skill… I’m a hopelessly romantic person. And I think I’m just trying to bring a little bit of love and the act of loving into your lives.”
In an interview with Elle last summer Olivia Dean he revealed that the album was inspired by an exhibition of the African-American artist Mickalene Thomas which he saw in Los Angeles, entitled “All About Love” homage to the book of the same name by the late American writer and activist Bell Hooks: “That book is like the Bible. Love is something that can seem quite mystical. It’s that thing that we all long for but aren’t taught enough. Why don’t we have a module in school? So the album was just an immersion in that, an analysis of the last two years of my life and everything I’ve learned so far.”
But we keep hearing her talk about love: “It’s the one thing in life we have no hard facts or education about and we look to music, film, art and others to help us learn. We’re trying to put together our own little version of Love, of how we should do it, all together. I’m obsessed with love, I’m fascinated by it. I’m crazy about it!”
She goes on to explain the urgency that drives her to sing songs: “I’m really drawn to the idea of being vulnerable in music and really laying it all out there. In particular, for a song I wrote, I had to sit with myself and ask myself… is this necessary? I think the answer is always that it’s necessary to share. Because there are super vulnerable songs that save my life when I feel so lost. And if they didn’t exist, what would I do? So you have to do it!”.
He has opened concerts for, among others, Sam Fender And Sabrina Carpenter. For those who want to experience first-hand, live, the talent of Olivia Deanmark your diary that he will be in concert in Italy next May 22nd at Kozel Carroponte in Milan.
