Olivia Dean earned her first Grammy Award Sunday night, taking home the trophy for the coveted best new artist category.
The 2026 best new artist category, which is selected by the 15,000 voting members of the Recording Academy, proved to be stacked. The award is one of the select few that all Academy members are able to vote on.
This year’s crop of best new artist hopefuls included The Marias, Addison Rae, KATSEYE, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren, Lola Young, Dean and Sombr. Host Trevor Noah touted during a performance medley that preceded the award that between all of the artists, they had more than 27 billion combined streams last year.
Chappell Roan, the 2025 best new artist award winner, took to the stage to present the 2026 award. She cited a recent tradition that the artist who earned the best new artist trophy the year prior presents the 2026 award. Roan made headlines last year when she used her acceptance speech to call out music labels and their treatment of artists.
Unsurprisingly, Roan called out Dean’s name. The camera cut to the British singer getting emotional in her seat. Dean took to the stage in tears, hugging Roan as she accepted the award.
“I never really imagined I’d be up here,” Dean told the crowd. She then took the time to thank her team, including her “best friend and manager” Emily, who she said has ben working with her for 10 years. Before wrapping up, Dean seemed to ponder for a moment before deciding to use her time to speak up about the world right now.
“I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant,” Dean told the crowd, met with cheers from the audience. “I’m a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated.”
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