Olivia Dean Brings Home First Grammy Award in the Best New Artist Category

Olivia Dean won the Best New Artist category at the 2026 Grammy Awards (Instagram @grammys)

JAKARTA - Olivia Dean won her first Grammy Award in the Best New Artist category at the 68th Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles, USA on Sunday, February 1 local time.

Dean managed to set aside a row of other names such as Katseye, The Marias, Addison Rae, to Lola Young. This victory was announced shortly after all the new nominees gave a collaborative performance on stage.

When accepting the trophy from last year's winner, Chappell Roan, Dean was unable to hold back tears as he reflected on his family's identity and background in front of a global audience.

In his victory speech, the London-born singer used the grand stage to voice an emotional message that he got from his personal experience.

"I stand here as the granddaughter of an immigrant. I am a product of a dare," said Olivia Dean.

"I believe people like them deserve to be celebrated. We are nothing without each other. Thank you so much," he continued.

This achievement confirms Dean's position in the elite ranks of world musicians, following in the footsteps of Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and Dua Lipa who previously also won the same category.

Dean's career took off sharply after the release of his second studio album, "The Art Of Loving", in September last year.

In addition to his musical talent, Dean is known as a figure who is vocal about the issue of accessibility in the music industry. A few months before his victory, he had criticized promoter giants such as Ticketmaster and Live Nation for ticket pricing practices that were considered to stifle fans.

His protest action was triggered by the story of a single mother who was unable to buy tickets for the concert, which then forced the ticket service provider to return the difference in price to fans.