Olivia Dean Wins Best New Artist Award at 2026 Grammys

Olivia Dean has taken home the award for Best New Artist from the Grammys tonight. Before Chappel Roan, last year’s winner, took the stage, all eight of the nominees had the opportunity to show off their musical skills to an audience full of stars.

Best New Artist

The Best New Artist category is awarded to an artist “whose eligibility-year release(s) achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape.” This year, the nominees included KATSEYE, The Marias, Addison Rae, sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren, Lola Young, and Olivia Dean.

Before the award announcement, Dean performed her song “Man I Need.” She dazzled the audience with her incredible voice while wearing a stunning, close-fitting dress, and proved she deserved that award.

Just after her name was read, the cameras captured her genuine reaction as she started to cry with joy. Dean started her speech by thanking her best friend and manager, Emily. Like many speeches that followed, she continued with words that were heartfelt but also political. She said that she is the “daughter of an immigrant,” “a daughter of bravery,” and that people deserve to be celebrated. “We’re nothing without each other.”

About Olivia Dean

According to People, Dean’s mother is Jamaican-Guyanese, and her father is English. Her mother and grandmother emigrated to the UK when Dean’s mother was “quite young.” Dean has one younger brother. Her mother is a lawyer and was the first Black woman to serve as a deputy leader of a political party in Britain, which was the Women’s Equality Party.

Through her parents, Dean was introduced to a variety of music, such as Carole King, Erykah Badu, and Al Green. Although her family wasn’t particularly musical, she credits her father with instilling her love of music. We should all thank him for that, as it fueled her incredible artistry.