Olivia Dean has won the BBC Introducing Artist of the Year Award for 2023.
The 24-year-old star has topped off a huge 12 months – which saw Olivia release her Top 5 debut album ‘Messy’ and receive a Mercury Prize nomination – by being honoured with the prize given to the best new British artist of the past year.
Olivia said: “Thank you so much for all the support over the years BBC Introducing! You are such an important and valuable platform for up-and-coming musicians. From my very first gig at the Lexington until now – poof crazy! So excited to be your artist of the year!!”
Kelly Betts, Editor, BBC Introducing: “It is with immense pride and joy that we name Olivia Dean as our ‘Artist of the Year’.
“This accolade is a celebration of not just a year of remarkable achievements but a journey of unwavering dedication and passion. BBC Introducing has been supporting Olivia since 2018 and has witnessed the evolution of a true musical luminary.
“This award celebrates a phenomenal artist but also symbolises our commitment to fostering, nurturing and championing the next generation of musical trailblazers. Congratulations to Olivia Dean, an artist destined for greatness.”
BBC Music Introducing is the BBC’s scheme for emerging musical talent and showcases undiscovered and unsigned artists and has helped to kick-start the careers of chart-toppers such as James Bay, Jake Bugg, Florence + the Machine and George Ezra since it was launched in 2007.
Previous winners include Izzy Bizu, Jack Garratt and Catfish and the Bottlemen.
In 2019, Olivia won BBC Introducing London’s Featured Artist of the Week.
A year later, the BRIT School alumni’s track ‘Password Change’ was named the ‘Introducing Track of the Week’ by BBC Radio 1.