The Art of Loving (2025)

The Art of Loving is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter Olivia Dean. It was released through Capitol Records and Polydor on 26 September 2025. For a pop and R&B record, it features production from Dean herself, alongside Julian Bunetta, Matt Hales, Bastian Langebæk, Leon Michels, Zach Nahome, John Ryan, Max Wolfgang, and Matt Zara. It was supported by the singles: "Nice to Each Other", "Lady Lady", "Man I Need", "So Easy (To Fall in Love)", "A Couple Minutes" and "Baby Steps".

Upon its release, The Art of Loving received praise from music critics and won the British Album of the Year at the Brit Awards. Internationally, the album peaked at number one in Australia, Ireland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, as well as the United Kingdom where Dean became the first British solo female artist to top the albums and singles charts simultaneously since 2021. The album debuted in the top ten globally on many charts, including the Billboard 200 and the Canadian Albums Chart.

Background

After the release of her debut studio album, Messy (2023), Olivia Dean started working on her next studio album project. In an interview with Paper, Dean shared that she had been "working really hard" on the album, expressing a desire to "sing for everybody" and be welcomed with "open arms" and "love", a gesture she described as a "vulnerable" act. The album was written and recorded in a grand house in East London transformed into a live-work studio for eight weeks between March and April 2025.

Composition and conception

I love bell hooks's book so much. It was one of those books that you wish everybody in your life could read. I thought that I would like to write an album reflecting on my understanding of love, the last two years of my life, and everything that’s happened. It’s obviously a topic that a lot of people have written songs about, I’m very aware, but I don’t think that takes away from the importance of it. I just think it was very healing for me to make. [...] I went to the studio later that day [in London]. The seed for that title, The Art of Loving, was planted, and I had some songs that I knew I wanted to use, but the majority of the album really wasn’t written until the end of March and April this year. So it’s quite recent material. I dedicated eight weeks to writing the rest of it and finishing it.

The Art of Loving consists of twelve tracks, written by Dean herself in collaboration with songwriters and producers, including Julian Bunetta, Matt Hales, Leon Michels, John Ryan, Amy Allen and Sir Nolan. The album is a pop and R&B record, that incorporates elements of pop and neo-soul, bossa nova, jazz pop and Motown sound.

Dean explained that the album title was inspired by American painter Mickalene Thomas' art exhibition All About Love at The Broad in Los Angeles, California, which was in response to bell hooks' book "All About Love: New Visions".

On 1 October 2026, Mattie Music Group filed a lawsuit claiming that Dean's song "I've Seen It" had copied Grover Washington Jr. and Bill Withers 1981 single, "Just the Two of Us".

Release and promotion

The album's release was preceded by several live performances, including joint appearances with Sabrina Carpenter and Sam Fender, as well as her own headlining North American tour. Dean announced The Art of Loving on 2 June 2025. The album was released on 26 September 2025 via Capitol Records and Polydor Records, issued through CD, vinyl LP, cassette, and digital formats.

Singles

The album's lead single, "Nice to Each Other", was released on 30 May 2025, and simultaneously announced the upcoming album. The album's second single, "Lady Lady", was released on 11 July 2025. The album's third single, "Man I Need", was released on 15 August 2025. The album's fourth single, "So Easy (To Fall in Love)", was released on 26 September 2025, coinciding with the full album. In July 2026, "A Couple Minutes" was released as a single for American radio and "Baby Steps" for Italian radio.

Tour

The album was supported by The Art of Loving Live tour, which commenced 23 April 2026, in Glasgow, Scotland, and concluded on 17 October 2026, in Auckland, New Zealand.