Olivia Dean wins Grammy for best new artist: ‘I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant’
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Olivia Dean, the British R&B singer who scored a major pop hit with “Man I Need,” has won the Grammy for best new artist.
Dean’s mix of elegant soul vocals and modern pop sophistication draw from a lineage of Grammy favorites like Amy Winehouse, Sade and Carole King. After opening for Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet” tour, she quickly became an arena headliner herself.
“I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant,” a teary-eyed Dean said while accepting the award. “I’m a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated. We’re nothing without each other.”
Here’s the winners list for the 2026 Grammy Awards, updating live. The night’s major awards went to Olivia Dean for new artist, Billie Eilish and Finneas for song, Kendrick Lamar with SZA for record and Bad Bunny for album.
She had the crowd on its feet minutes earlier during her performance of “Man I Need.”
Dean’s breakthrough single, “Man I Need,” peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and drove her album “The Art of Loving” to No. 3 on the Billboard 200. She dominated the British charts last year, becoming the first British woman since Adele to land three singles simultaneously in the U.K.’s Top 10 charts, and score a No. 1 album and single there.
Justin Bieber took the Grammys stage Sunday for the first time in four years, performing ‘Yukon.’ Bieber was nominated for four Grammys, including album of the year.
Dean also made news last year after lambasting Ticketmaster and other outlets for eye-watering resale prices on tickets to her concert tour, telling them, “You are providing a disgusting service. The prices at which you’re allowing tickets to be re-sold is vile and completely against our wishes.” Ticketmaster later agreed to cap resale prices and refund fans who overpaid.
With this win, Dean continues a nine-year streak of the best new artist award going to a solo female musician.
She bested Leon Thomas, Katseye, the Marías, Addison Rae, Sombr, Alex Warren and Lola Young for the award.
