11/08/2025
Olivia Dean: The Grammy-Nominated Star with Guyanese Roots Shining on the Global Stage
Georgetown, Guyana — November 8, 2025:
British singer-songwriter Olivia Dean is taking the global music scene by storm, and Guyana can proudly claim part of her story.
The 26-year-old artist, recently nominated for two Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist and Songwriter of the Year (Non-Classical) for her soulful hit “Man I Need,” has deep Caribbean heritage through her Guyanese-Jamaican father and grandmother, who migrated to the U.K. as part of the Windrush generation.
Born Olivia Lauryn Dean on March 14, 1999, in London, she grew up immersed in the sounds of soul, jazz, and bossa nova. Her middle name, “Lauryn,” is a tribute to her musical inspiration, Lauryn Hill, a fitting nod for an artist celebrated for her authenticity and lyrical honesty.
Dean’s journey has been anything but ordinary. A graduate of The BRIT School, the same performing arts institution that produced icons like Adele, Amy Winehouse, and Jessie J — she first rose to prominence in 2021 when Amazon Music named her its Breakthrough Artist of the Year.
Her debut album Messy climbed to No. 4 on the U.K. charts, while her 2025 sophomore release, The Art of Loving, soared to No. 1, making her the first British female artist since Adele to achieve three U.K. Top 10 singles.
In a recent interview with ELLE, Olivia described her creative process:
“I’ve always just made music that I’d want to listen to. I love soul, I love jazz, I love bossa nova, it’s just who I am.”
As she continues to make waves internationally, many in the Caribbean diaspora are celebrating Olivia Dean as another symbol of Guyanese pride reaching the world stage, blending cultures, generations, and sounds into something timeless.
Reporting by: NewsGuyana24 Entertainment Desk
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