Olivia Dean becomes the first UK artist to receive Apple Music’s Artist of the Year honor.
Olivia Dean has been named Apple Music’s Artist of the Year for 2026. Announced November 9, the recognition celebrates her rise following the release of The Art of Loving and makes her the first UK artist to receive the honor.
The album has spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the UK’s Official Albums Chart and ranked as the country’s second-biggest album of 2026 through the third quarter. “Man I Need” was the UK’s biggest song of the year through September, accumulating more than 173 million combined UK streams.
Dean also made history alongside Sam Fender. Their collaboration, “Rein Me In,” spent 23 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in the UK, setting the Official Singles Chart’s longevity record.
Her achievements extended beyond the charts. Dean won Best New Artist at the Grammys and four BRIT Awards, including Artist of the Year. She returned to Madison Square Garden for four headline shows after opening for Sabrina Carpenter there in 2025, then played six sold-out nights at London’s O2 Arena.
Dean joins a list of Apple Music Artist of the Year winners that stretches back to 2019. Billie Eilish remains the only artist to receive the honor twice.
Every Apple Music Artist of the Year Winner
2019: Billie Eilish
2020: Lil Baby
2021: The Weeknd
2022: Bad Bunny
2023: Taylor Swift
2024: Billie Eilish
2025: Tyler, the Creator
2026: Olivia Dean
Dean’s year has the hits, awards, and live demand to make this recognition understandable. Going from opening at Madison Square Garden to headlining four nights there is a hell of a way to show how much things have changed.
Quincy is the creator of Ratings Game Music. He loves writing about music, taking long walks on beaches, and spaghetti that fights him back.
Discover more from RGM
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
