Olivia Dean is having her moment — and she knows it. The 26-year-old “Man I Need” singer, fresh off a critically adored album and a wave of global recognition, is opening up to Nylon about what’s next, how she sees the pop landscape, and why Los Angeles will never be her permanent address.
Known for her warm vocals and grounded storytelling, Olivia has quickly become one of the most magnetic rising stars in music. But now, she’s revealing another dream she’s quietly been holding: acting.
“First of all, Teyana Taylor is so hot. I’m straight as an arrow, babe, [but] I was like, ‘D*mn. Maybe for you’,” she joked, recalling the moment that sparked something new. “I don’t know what it was. I just came out of the cinema, and something clicked like, I’d love to be in a movie.”
It’s that mix of charm, self-awareness, and candid honesty that has made her one of pop’s most refreshing voices. But she’s also crystal clear about what she doesn’t want — and Los Angeles, in all its buzz and pressure, is definitely one of them.
“Like, ‘Woah, guys, is anyone having fun? You know you’re allowed to have fun!’ There’s such a culture of being observed here, and I can’t live my life that way. I think that people need to release themselves. Release yourself from the idea that somebody might find you cringe. F*ck them! Be cringe, and be free!”
Her commitment to authenticity shows up in everything she does, even down to her daily routine. “I’m going to make heels an everyday thing. I’ve left the trainers at home. I want to feel like that bitch all day.”
Olivia also shares that love — in all its messy, transformative forms — remains her greatest muse. “I think it’s the most important thing in the world, so we must keep digging on the topic.” For her, songwriting is intensely personal, a record of who she was and what she lived through.
“I do it so that I can listen back to it in 10 years and be like, ‘OK, that was about that breakup.’ ‘That was about that time in my life.’ That’s interesting to me,” she said, adding that writing fictional stories simply isn’t her thing. “That’s great for The Beatles. That’s not why I do it…”
And she’s loving the current moment in pop music — especially for women. “It’s really exciting right now. It’s moving in a way that people are more individuals. I personally don’t feel any competition whatsoever or any comparative nature with any of my peers in that way. The women are just absolutely dominating music in general right now, which is amazing.”
But Olivia isn’t only focused on the heavy stuff — she’s also here for the fun and the woo-woo. Case in point: her incense obsession. “Attracts money — that was the scent. Been burning that. Been burning that!”
She even had an alternate album title ready to go: “The Art of ‘D*mn, I Got My Sh*t Rocked.’”
And when it comes to relationships, she’s as thoughtful as ever: “When they say loving someone is kind of letting them go, I do really believe in that sometimes. Wanting them to shine, and just achieve everything that they want with their life, whether that includes you or not.”
As for friendship, mentorship, and touring life, Olivia adored supporting Sabrina Carpenter: “To be able to support her and warm the crowd up and just play before going into my own tour is the most invaluable experience.”
Dating apps, though? Hard pass. “God forbid!”
With humor, honesty, and a sharp sense of who she is, Olivia Dean is crafting a career that feels refreshingly real. And whether she’s writing, singing, or stepping into her movie-star era someday, she’s doing it entirely on her own terms.
