Olivia Dean Is Your Apple Music Artist Of The Year For 2026

With every day that passes, it becomes harder and harder to imagine a time before Olivia Dean released “Man I Need.” Nowadays, you can’t get through two aisles in a supermarket or spend five minutes in an Uber without hearing Dean begging the object of her affection to “Talk to me, talk to me.” But it’s not just that one song: whether we like it or not, Dean has served as the collective soundtrack to our 2026, thanks to her extensive catalogue of equally inescapable songs like “So Easy (To Fall In Love)” and “A Couple Minutes.” So when it came time for Apple Music to pick their Artist of the Year, the choice was obvious.

Word of the artist’s selection broke on Nov. 9, a choice that was fueled by her undeniable streaming numbers, sold out global tour, and “feel-good music story,” per an Apple Music press release. “I love making music,” Dean said in a statement. “It’s the best thing in the world. I think being Apple’s Artist of the Year feels really amazing. To be recognized as an artist that’s made an impact is really cool.”

This isn’t the only major award the soul singer has won this year. If you’ll rewind all the way back to February for a moment, Dean walked away from this year’s Grammy Awards with the coveted Best New Artist trophy — and that was before her Sam Fender duet “Rein Me In” broke the record for the longest-running No. 1 single in UK music history. The 27-year-old then took home the prize for British Album of the Year at the BRIT Awards for her album The Art of Loving a few weeks later, a project that also landed her on the shortlist for the 2026 Mercury Prize. And though nothing is set in stone just yet, don’t be surprised if you hear Olivia Dean’s name called repeatedly when the nominees for the 69th annual Grammy Awards are announced next week.

Along with Dean’s appointment, Apple Music is celebrating the year that was with curated a special selection of playlists dedicated to the songs and voices that have shaped the last 12 months, highlighting artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Zara Larsson, Kehlani, Adéla, and more.