Olivia Dean has revealed that her hit song ‘Man I Need’ was nearly not released as a single, and shared that she is open to taking part in Strictly Come Dancing.
The song was released as a single from Dean’s latest album ‘The Art Of Loving’, and went on to be an immediate hit. It peaked at Number One on the charts, and saw her become the first female solo artist to have four singles in the Official Charts UK Top 10 simultaneously.
Now, she has revealed that while she always liked the song, she was reluctant to make it into a single as she was uncertain whether or not it was strong enough to represent the full album.
Speaking to Hits Radio, she said: “I wasn’t sure about it… I thought it was a little bit different.”
When asked by host Marvin Humes if she had a feeling that the song was going to be a hit, she replied: “I knew I really liked it. But I didn’t know if it was representative of the whole album and the story. But I’m glad I followed through with that one.”
While that track was one that ultimately made it onto the finished album, there are apparently “loads” of strong songs that didn’t, the pop star shared.
“I might still do something with them,” she teased, giving no further details about how or when she might drop more new material.
While Dean kept her cards close to her chest with new music, she did open up about hopes to one day star on the BBC One show Strictly Come Dancing.
She told Humes that she has been having dance lessons and learning salsa as she wanted to explore “a new skill that’s completely separate from my music and still in music”.
When asked if she would consider saying yes to a request to be in the dance show, she replied: “I actually would!”
It is safe to say that Dean will not be taking part in the upcoming 2026 edition of Strictly, as she will be on tour celebrating her new album in Australia and New Zealand at that time.
‘The Art Of Loving’ bagged the Album Of The Year award at the BRITs 2026 and has since been confirmed as the second best selling album in the UK so far this year – just behind Harry Styles.
Dean was one of the big winners at the 2026 MOBO Awards this year, and before then she had also locked in big wins at the BRITs and at the Grammys.
Other accolades include being announced as the ambassador for Record Store Day 2026, and becoming one of the new favourites to write the next James Bond theme song.
‘The Art Of Loving’ record scored a four-star review from NME, with Hannah Mylrea comparing her to musicians like RAYE and Sam Fender: “British artists who’ve ascended to bigger and bigger stages, crafting music that while sonically is in their own lanes, is filled with honest lyricism coming from a distinct voice.
“As Dean prepares for her own sold-out arena tours – and with her tracks soaring up the UK charts – this record comes to cement her place. With it, marks the next chapter in Dean’s career, one as a pop star risen.”
Later this month, the singer is headed on a UK and European tour which includes four dates at London’s O2 Arena. You can find a full list of dates, as well as all ticket information here.
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