# The Art of Loving (album)
**The Art of Loving** is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter [Olivia Dean](https://www.edgepedia.org/olivia-dean), released on 26 September 2025 through [Capitol Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/capitol-records) and [Polydor Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/polydor-records). The 12-track record is a soul-pop and neo-soul collection about love in its many forms, produced principally with Zach Nahome, and it became the biggest album in the UK of 2026 by year-to-date consumption while earning Dean a Best New Artist Grammy, four BRIT Awards, and three MOBO Awards.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 26 September 2025, Capitol Records and Polydor Records; second studio album, following the 2023 debut *Messy*[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving/) |
| Recording | Eight weeks in a rented house in Hackney, East London, set up as a home studio; Dean brought her own piano and invited collaborators to her[2](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/i-think-it-was-a-song-that-i-wasnt-sure-about-at-first-it-felt-different-you-know-uptempo-and-sexy-but-i-love-it-olivia-dean-admits-that-she-initially-had-her-doubts-about-her-current-global-hit-single) • [3](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a68990785/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving-album-interview-2025/) |
| UK chart | Debuted at Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart; 8 weeks at No.1 and 55 weeks in the Top 100[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving/) |
| US chart | Debuted and peaked at No.3 on the Billboard 200[4](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/09/25/grammy-multi-brit-mobo-award-winner-and-two-time-mercury-prize-nominee-olivia-dean-celebrates-one-year-of-record-breaking-1-selling-and-double-platinum-certified-sophomore-album-th/) |
| Sales | Double platinum in the UK; upwards of 6.5 million adjusted global sales units; UK consumption to date 765,365 units, including 95,750 on vinyl[4](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/09/25/grammy-multi-brit-mobo-award-winner-and-two-time-mercury-prize-nominee-olivia-dean-celebrates-one-year-of-record-breaking-1-selling-and-double-platinum-certified-sophomore-album-th/) • [5](https://www.musicweek.com/labels/read/olivia-dean-s-the-art-of-loving-marks-first-anniversary-can-it-beat-michael-jackson-on-2026-chart/095056) |
| Awards | Best New Artist Grammy 2026; BRIT 2026 wins for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year ("Rein Me In" with Sam Fender), and Pop Act; three MOBO 2026 wins; second Mercury Prize nomination[4](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/09/25/grammy-multi-brit-mobo-award-winner-and-two-time-mercury-prize-nominee-olivia-dean-celebrates-one-year-of-record-breaking-1-selling-and-double-platinum-certified-sophomore-album-th/) |
## Background and recording
Dean's 2023 debut album *Messy* attracted respectful but mixed reviews and respectable, rather than remarkable, sales, spawning the hit single "Dive" but striking critics as standard-issue tasteful neo-soul.[6](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/sep/25/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving-review) For the follow-up, Dean described feeling the pressure that comes with a sophomore album and making material she judged not good before changing her working method: "if I want to make an album about love and loving and my understanding of that, I need to be really comfortable."
**A house in Hackney.** Dean returned to [East London](https://www.edgepedia.org/east-london), where she grew up, and rented a house, bringing in her piano and inviting every collaborator to work there. She credited the setting with bringing "warmth and comfortability and authenticity" to the music.[3](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a68990785/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving-album-interview-2025/) Sessions took place over a concentrated eight-week period in the house-turned-studio.[2](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/i-think-it-was-a-song-that-i-wasnt-sure-about-at-first-it-felt-different-you-know-uptempo-and-sexy-but-i-love-it-olivia-dean-admits-that-she-initially-had-her-doubts-about-her-current-global-hit-single) Interviews before release repeatedly cited Brazilian music, [Fleetwood Mac](https://www.edgepedia.org/fleetwood-mac), and vintage soul as reference points.[7](https://www.ftrecord.com/liner-notes/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving-2025)
## Production and personnel
Production was collaborative and deliberately varied. Zach Nahome is credited as a producer across the album, with Dean herself also credited as a producer; other producers include [Julian Bunetta](https://www.edgepedia.org/julian-bunetta), Matt Hales, Bastian Langebæk, Leon Michels, John Ryan, Max Wolfgang, and Matt Zara.[7](https://www.ftrecord.com/liner-notes/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving-2025) Songwriters who worked on the album include Amy Allen, Tobias Jesso Jr, and Dean's previous collaborators Max Wolfgang and Bastian Langebæk.[2](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/i-think-it-was-a-song-that-i-wasnt-sure-about-at-first-it-felt-different-you-know-uptempo-and-sexy-but-i-love-it-olivia-dean-admits-that-she-initially-had-her-doubts-about-her-current-global-hit-single) Dean has a writing credit on every song.[8](https://www.buzzsprout.com/2652328/episodes/19861736-the-art-of-loving-olivia-dean-album-review)
The instrumentation favors warm, tactile textures: acoustic and electric guitars, lap steel, Rhodes and [Wurlitzer](https://www.edgepedia.org/wurlitzer) electric pianos, congas, tambourine, horns, and a full string ensemble, Wired Strings, with arrangements by Rosie Danvers. Charlie Holmes mixed the album and Simon Francis mastered it.[7](https://www.ftrecord.com/liner-notes/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving-2025) • [1](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving/) "[Lady Lady](https://www.edgepedia.org/lady-lady-song)" was co-produced with Leon Michels and drummer Homer Steinweiss of The Dap-Kings.[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving/)
## Music and themes
Thematically, the album takes its stance from the bell hooks book *All About Love*, in which hooks suggests students should study love in school; Dean described aiming to treat love "as less of a fantasy that's going to happen to you one day and more of a practice and a craft."[9](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/the-art-of-loving-olivia-dean/o3ba1azzcm1ta) Reviewers read the record as covering love from every angle, including self-love, breakups, and friendship, with an overall tone reviewers called warm and uplifting even on the sadder tracks.[10](https://www.spoonmusic.com/reviews/the-art-of-loving)
**Musical direction.** In his Guardian review, Alexis Petridis described the album as a noticeable rethink rather than a reinvention: it moves away from the cliches of Dean's debut, quarantining them on the track "Close Up", and instead draws on 1970s Los Angeles studio music, from Rumours-adjacent soft rock to the slick, yacht-rock-tinged funk of "Baby Steps" and the Carpenters-style pop of "So Easy (To Fall in Love)".[6](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/sep/25/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving-review) The Associated Press described it as jazzy soul-pop and noted the self-love theme of "Baby Steps" as a return to themes from Dean's 2023 breakthrough hit "Ladies Room".[11](https://apnews.com/article/8cb4eee78c49fe6eb13273fa164035e9)
The tracklist runs from the forty-second "The Art of Loving (Intro)" through the singles "[Nice to Each Other](https://www.edgepedia.org/nice-to-each-other)", "Lady Lady", "So Easy (To Fall In Love)", and "Man I Need" to the closing "I've Seen It".[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving/) Dean had initial doubts about "Man I Need", finding its uptempo, sexy feel different from her usual style, but it became the album's biggest hit.[2](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/i-think-it-was-a-song-that-i-wasnt-sure-about-at-first-it-felt-different-you-know-uptempo-and-sexy-but-i-love-it-olivia-dean-admits-that-she-initially-had-her-doubts-about-her-current-global-hit-single)
## Commercial performance
On 3 October 2025 the album debuted straight in at Number 1 on the UK Official Albums Chart, in the same week that "Man I Need" reached the top of the Official Singles Chart, making Dean the first British female solo artist to achieve the chart double since Adele in 2021.[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving/) The album spent eight weeks at No.1 and 55 consecutive weeks in the UK Top 100 in its first year, and Dean holds the record for the longest-running UK No.1 album by a British artist this decade.[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving/) • [5](https://www.musicweek.com/labels/read/olivia-dean-s-the-art-of-loving-marks-first-anniversary-can-it-beat-michael-jackson-on-2026-chart/095056) It also set the biggest opening week by a British female artist in the UK; "Man I Need" went on to be the longest-running No.1 single by a British female artist this decade.[4](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/09/25/grammy-multi-brit-mobo-award-winner-and-two-time-mercury-prize-nominee-olivia-dean-celebrates-one-year-of-record-breaking-1-selling-and-double-platinum-certified-sophomore-album-th/)
Globally, the album reached No.1 in Australia, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, and debuted at No.3 on the US Billboard 200.[4](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/09/25/grammy-multi-brit-mobo-award-winner-and-two-time-mercury-prize-nominee-olivia-dean-celebrates-one-year-of-record-breaking-1-selling-and-double-platinum-certified-sophomore-album-th/) By its first anniversary it had sold upwards of 6.5 million adjusted global units and gone double platinum in the UK.[4](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/09/25/grammy-multi-brit-mobo-award-winner-and-two-time-mercury-prize-nominee-olivia-dean-celebrates-one-year-of-record-breaking-1-selling-and-double-platinum-certified-sophomore-album-th/) UK year-to-date consumption for 2026 stood at 486,912 units against 498,360 for [Michael Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jackson)'s streaming-led catalog compilation *The Essential*, making the 2026 year-end chart race close.[5](https://www.musicweek.com/labels/read/olivia-dean-s-the-art-of-loving-marks-first-anniversary-can-it-beat-michael-jackson-on-2026-chart/095056) Physical sales were strong for a major pop release: approaching 100,000 copies on vinyl alone, and more than 8,000 CD and vinyl copies sold through Rough Trade.[5](https://www.musicweek.com/labels/read/olivia-dean-s-the-art-of-loving-marks-first-anniversary-can-it-beat-michael-jackson-on-2026-chart/095056) For the first anniversary the label issued limited editions, including a half-speed-mastered 180g silver vinyl LP.[4](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/09/25/grammy-multi-brit-mobo-award-winner-and-two-time-mercury-prize-nominee-olivia-dean-celebrates-one-year-of-record-breaking-1-selling-and-double-platinum-certified-sophomore-album-th/)
## Reception and awards
Critical response was largely positive. The Guardian's Petridis called it an exceptionally well-made record full of diaristic detail; [The Week](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-week)'s roundup highlighted how it "expunges most of the clichés of Dean's debut album".[6](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/sep/25/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving-review) • [12](https://theweek.com/culture-life/music/olivia-dean-madi-diaz-hannah-frances) NME praised Dean's vocals, earworm melodies, and lush arrangements with warm pianos, slinky riffs, and brass, noting occasional comparison to [Amy Winehouse](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-winehouse).[13](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving-review-3895288) Critics also read it as both a continuation of and a step forward from *Messy*, with greater maturity and depth.[14](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1339720-olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving.php) A recurring criticism was that the record's polish could feel too controlled; the Spoon review asked whether a "perfect record" could feel too perfect, and noted that Dean had entered the top 200 most-streamed artists globally on the strength of the album and its singles.[10](https://www.spoonmusic.com/reviews/the-art-of-loving)
The album carried Dean to a series of awards: the Best New Artist Grammy in 2026, four BRIT Awards in 2026 (Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for *The Art of Loving*, Song of the Year for "Rein Me In" with [Sam Fender](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-fender), and Pop Act), three [MOBO Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/mobo-awards) (Best Female Act, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year for "Man I Need"), and a second [Mercury Prize](https://www.edgepedia.org/mercury-prize) nomination.[4](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/09/25/grammy-multi-brit-mobo-award-winner-and-two-time-mercury-prize-nominee-olivia-dean-celebrates-one-year-of-record-breaking-1-selling-and-double-platinum-certified-sophomore-album-th/) The album's success also contributed to Music Week Awards wins for Polydor (Record Company) and Capitol (A&R).[5](https://www.musicweek.com/labels/read/olivia-dean-s-the-art-of-loving-marks-first-anniversary-can-it-beat-michael-jackson-on-2026-chart/095056)
## References
1. [The Art of Loving – Olivia Dean, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving/)
2. [Olivia Dean on "Man I Need", MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/i-think-it-was-a-song-that-i-wasnt-sure-about-at-first-it-felt-different-you-know-uptempo-and-sexy-but-i-love-it-olivia-dean-admits-that-she-initially-had-her-doubts-about-her-current-global-hit-single)
3. [Olivia Dean on How Life and Years of Therapy Inspired "The Art of Loving", Harper's Bazaar](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a68990785/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving-album-interview-2025/)
4. [Olivia Dean celebrates one year of The Art of Loving, Universal Music Canada](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2026/09/25/grammy-multi-brit-mobo-award-winner-and-two-time-mercury-prize-nominee-olivia-dean-celebrates-one-year-of-record-breaking-1-selling-and-double-platinum-certified-sophomore-album-th/)
5. [Olivia Dean's The Art of Loving marks first anniversary, Music Week](https://www.musicweek.com/labels/read/olivia-dean-s-the-art-of-loving-marks-first-anniversary-can-it-beat-michael-jackson-on-2026-chart/095056)
6. [Olivia Dean: The Art of Loving review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/sep/25/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving-review)
7. [Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving (2025) liner notes, For The Record](https://www.ftrecord.com/liner-notes/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving-2025)
8. [The Art of Loving album review podcast, Buzzsprout](https://www.buzzsprout.com/2652328/episodes/19861736-the-art-of-loving-olivia-dean-album-review)
9. [The Art of Loving, Olivia Dean, Qobuz](https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/the-art-of-loving-olivia-dean/o3ba1azzcm1ta)
10. [The Art of Loving review, Spoon](https://www.spoonmusic.com/reviews/the-art-of-loving)
11. [Music Review: Olivia Dean breaks down The Art of Loving, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/8cb4eee78c49fe6eb13273fa164035e9)
12. [Music reviews: Olivia Dean, Madi Diaz, and Hannah Frances, The Week](https://theweek.com/culture-life/music/olivia-dean-madi-diaz-hannah-frances)
13. [Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving review, NME](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving-review-3895288)
14. [Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving reviews, Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1339720-olivia-dean-the-art-of-loving.php)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Pop albums › 2020s albums › Albums by British and Irish artists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license