Ep. 226: Olivia Dean | The Art of Loving (and Finding Yourself)

And The Writer Is...with Ross Golan

And The Writer Is

Unknown, Music Interviews, Songwriting, Music, Songwriters, Education, Interviews, Music Creation, Artists

4.9 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 27 October 2025

⏱️ 87 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today's guest is an international soul sensation...From writing “The Hardest Part” on Zoom to conquering imposter syndrome, crafting hits like "Dive" and "Man I Need," and creating her acclaimed album The Art of Loving.. She is on a meteoric rise in music.

We discuss raw stories of heartbreak, growth, the magic of songwriting.. and how she learned to protect her voice in a room and write music that actually feels like her.

And The Writer Is...Olivia Dean!

Whether you're a songwriter, fan, or music lover, this episode is packed with inspiration, laughs, and behind-the-scenes gems.

Presented by NMPA..

The National Music Publisher's Association. Championing songwriters everywhere.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Co-presented by Splice.

The best music sample library in music.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 – Welcome to the Soul

01:50 – “I Still Feel So British”

03:00 – First Trip to L.A. (With No GPS or Plan)

04:00 – Learning to Trust Her Own Taste

07:40 – When Artists Had Time to Be Bad

08:30 – Making Meaningful Music in a Chart World

09:20 – “I Don’t Write Every Day”

13:35 – Disney, West Side Story, and Other Early Teachers

15:50 – The First Song: “Mean Boy”

17:05 – Parents Who Said Yes

17:20 – The BRIT School Plan

20:05 – Busking, Best Friends, and the Birth of a Band

22:15 – The First Show: 70 Tickets, 10 People on Stage

23:40 – Signing Her First Deal

25:00 – The Studio Explosion (Her Worst Song Story)

27:00 – Surviving the Rooms

29:15 – How the Best Songs Are Written

30:45 – The Yellow Van Tour (COVID-Era Reinvention)

31:30 – “OK Love You Bye” — The First Song That Felt Free

34:00 – From 70 Fans to 100 Million Streams

36:00 – It Takes a Village (and a Lot of Gratitude)

39:00 – “The Hardest Part” — The Song She Hated (That Changed Everything)

40:00 – The Take That Hurts Is the Take That Wins

43:20 – NMPA Ad Read

44:05 – Splice Ad Read

47:45 – Crying on the Studio Floor

48:00 – “Dive” — When the World Started Singing Back

51:40 – Being a Woman Who Writes (and Plays)

53:10 – The Anatomy of a Song

56:25 – “I Don’t Write Lies”

57:35 – “The Art of Loving” — How the Album Was Born

1:00:15 – What Love Actually Taught Her

1:01:35 – Making Time for Love Anyway

1:02:55 – Ross’s Mirror Moment

1:04:30 – Learning to Sit in Silence

1:05:45 – The Weight of Words

1:06:30 – Being Heard

And The Writer Is...

Hosted by Ross Golan

Produced by Joe London and Jad Saad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I think I had a lot of imposter syndrome.
0:02.0	I'm really good at going into any room now and being like,
0:05.0	Hello, I'm Olivia.
0:07.0	One of the hottest new names in music.
0:09.0	The one of the only Olivia Dina!
0:11.0	I've written a lot of terrible music.
0:13.0	Really bad.
0:15.0	There are a lot of songs you have to write to get to that song.
0:19.0	That's what makes it sound special.
0:20.0	The deeper you go and the sort of more you scare yourself, those are the things that resonate the most. I remember I came in the studio that day and I just laid on the floor and I just sort of cried and I was like, I'm so heartbroken. Who is it about? I can't tell you that. Come on, please. Tell me about making this album.
0:39.2	Oh my God, I have to make a second album.
0:41.5	How did I even make the first one?
0:43.4	Whoa.
0:44.2	Can I?
0:45.0	Who am I?
0:46.2	How would you advise a young female artist?
0:49.9	I think the best songs come from like four hours of amazing conversation and tea and like talking about our lives.
0:57.2	And then the song gets written in like an hour.
0:59.2	So if we can't have that, we have nothing.
1:06.6	This season is presented by NMPA, the National Music Publishers Association, champions of songwriters and publishers everywhere.
1:16.3	Welcome to Anne the Writer is. I am your host, Ross Golan. Today's international music sensations redefining modern soul.
1:24.5	She leads this generation of UK superstars with effortless vulnerability. Her
	...

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