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

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.