---
title: "Olivia Dean becomes first UK artist to win Apple Music Artist of the Year"
description: "The British singer-songwriter earns the honour after a breakthrough year with album 'The Art of Loving'."
url: https://mactoreality.com/olivia-dean-becomes-first-uk-artist-to-win-apple-music-artist-of-the-year
published: 2026-11-09T16:30:38Z
updated: 2026-11-09T16:30:38Z
author: "Mac to Reality Newsdesk"
category: News
tags: ["Apps","Software"]
publisher: Mac to Reality
ai_assisted: true
apple_heat_impact: 1
---

# Olivia Dean becomes first UK artist to win Apple Music Artist of the Year

*The British singer-songwriter earns the honour after a breakthrough year with album 'The Art of Loving'.*

**Key points**

- Olivia Dean is Apple Music's Artist of the Year for 2026, the first UK artist to win the award.
- Her album 'The Art of Loving' and single 'Man I Need' drove her breakthrough this year.
- Dean also won a Grammy for Best New Artist and four BRIT Awards in 2026.

Apple has named British singer-songwriter Olivia Dean its Apple Music Artist of the Year for 2026, the first time the honour has gone to a UK artist.

Dean’s late-2025 album *The Art of Loving* broke through this year, and her single ‘Man I Need’ has charted on Apple Music’s Daily Top 100 every day since it first appeared on 29 August 2025. She also won the Grammy for Best New Artist and four BRIT Awards, including Artist of the Year, and sold out her global tour.

### Background

- Winner: Olivia Dean, Apple Music Artist of the Year 2026
- First UK artist to receive the award
- Live record: four nights at Madison Square Garden, then six sold-out nights at The O2 in London
- Apple Music is available in more than 167 countries and regions

Apple says Dean opened for Sabrina Carpenter at Madison Square Garden in autumn 2025, then returned for a four-night residency of her own. A six-night sold-out run at London’s O2 Arena followed.

‘I think being Apple’s Artist of the Year feels really amazing,’ Dean said. Rachel Newman, Apple Music’s co-head, said: ‘What sets Olivia apart is that she speaks from the heart, every time.’

Apple’s music editors point to 1960s soul and pop songwriting as a root of her sound, with echoes of Sade, Prince and Lauryn Hill. Winners receive a physical award built around a slice of Apple’s custom silicon wafer, suspended between polished glass and an anodised aluminium body.

## Why it matters

In our view, a UK winner suits the global reach Apple Music stresses in its announcement: the service runs in more than 167 countries and regions, and Dean’s breakthrough has played out on both sides of the Atlantic.

## Sources

- [Apple Newsroom: Olivia Dean is Apple Music’s Artist of the Year for 2026](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/11/olivia-dean-is-apple-musics-artist-of-the-year-for-2026/)

*This report was written by the Mac to Reality newsdesk with AI assistance from the sources listed above, under the editorial policy at https://mactoreality.com/editorial-policy.*