Olivia Dean on tour – timeless, polished, but something’s missing

Two years ago, Olivia Dean played a gig at King Tut’s in Glasgow. “There was 300 people in the room,” she tells the crowd of more than 14,000 at the city’s arena venue OVO Hydro – the first stop of her Art of Loving tour. “I can’t believe how many people are here and that this is my own show.”

Dean’s success is enough to make one believe in the concept of stars aligning. That isn’t to minimise the 27-year-old London-born singer’s hard work and natural talent. The odds were in her favour with a Brit school education and a Mercury prize nomination, but her second album, The Art of Loving, captured the world and the charts in a way no one could have predicted. Dean is now the first female artist in history to have four songs simultaneously in the UK Top 10. There’s a sense of magic in the air as she emerges from behind a curtain in a dazzling pink dress – all old Hollywood glamour and alluring charm.

Dean’s live rendition of soft rock-number Nice to Each Other, with its hazy guitar and introspective lyrics about dating, and Lady Lady, a song about change, growth and womanhood, make for a powerful start to the evening. But, because of their ubiquity, songs such as So Easy (To Fall in Love) have to work harder to leave an impression.

It’s her older songs that surprise and provide some of the night’s most memorable moments, such as the title track from her debut album Messy. Perhaps because there’s less pressure on these songs, their arrangements soar – big drums and screaming saxophone against a roaring red backdrop, the overall effect is transcendentally cinematic. The same is true of her jazzy 2024 single Time: Dean is in her element, confident and immersed. During a stripped-back performance of UFO, the arena lights up with phone torches. It’s intimate, earnest, and brings Dean to tears. An outfit change into a white floaty gown and relocation to the small central stage sees Dean perform two fan favourites – Loud and A Couple Minutes – among a sea of euphoric fans. The crowd is young: clearly, the gen Z adoration goes beyond the viral soundbites on TikTok.

It’s reassuring, especially at a time when female singers are at risk of being banished to the “Khia asylum” – a social media term for once popular artists who have faded into irrelevancy. Current members include Rita Ora and Bebe Rexha. Recent escapees include Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter.

What sets Dean up for weathering the tornado of fickleness and misogyny that is the music industry is her affinity with genres that are not necessarily “contemporary” but are highly regarded and respected, from bossa nova to Motown. You get a sense that she wants her music to be popular, rather than to make popular music. It’s obvious to anyone born before 1995 that her references are Whitney Houston, Sade Adu and Curtis Mayfield. She even throws in a spirited rendition of Mayfield’s Move On Up in the middle of the set.

Of course, pulling from eras before your time runs the risk of becoming derivative or costumey, but Dean’s songwriting is full of attention to detail. Though her lyrics might be considered “relatable”, they never veer too far into trendiness: there’s an effort to keep things evergreen. Colloquialisms can be “cool” at the time, but they age a song quickly. Dean knows that singing about meeting at the mountain tops or walks in Central Park are timeless images.

Back on the main stage, and in a new glittery dress, Dean performs Baby Steps. She and the band take two steps left and two steps right when the chorus comes in. It’s simple, endearing choreography, and a reminder that not all arena performances need elaborate dance routines. A rocking band and some sultry frolicking can be enough.

Dean ends with her biggest hit, Man I Need, which has just passed a billion streams on Spotify. The fun, bouncy song is what everyone came here for, and she serves it up with love. Throughout the show, Dean has exhibited great vocal and breath control. It’s clear that she made many of the songs with the consideration of how they would be performed live, and they translate well. But something feels missing. Vocal risks? Heartfelt ad libs? Spontaneous harmonies? A cappella interludes to show off those beautiful tones?

But riding the high of winning her first Grammy in February, Dean is glowing. She’s at a sweet spot in her career, neither a deer in headlights nor a jaded veteran. She’s in the right place at the right time.

Photographs by Lola Mansell