Olivia Dean makes loving look easy. The British singer-songwriter writes from a place of warmth, the kind of radiant outpouring often ascribed to finding the poise and power in loving not only someone else but yourself. The Art of Loving, Dean’s second critically acclaimed album, navigates that balance with an ease that feels lived-in, like she's already had the epiphany most of us still search for. But she didn't get there alone.  

“If you haven't read bell hooks’ All About Love, I really recommend it. This album was in response to that book, and it gave me this definition that really works for me,” said Dean at her MGM Grand Garden Arena show on July 18. “I really think that loving another person in your life … is wanting to see them be the best version of themselves and wanting to nurture their growth and just see them shine and to shine yourself alongside them.”  

In her Las Vegas debut, Dean courted the audience, inviting us to fall in love with her, to fall in love with ourselves. The singer-songwriter opened with the chart-topping “Nice to Each Other,” sweeping across the stage like an exquisite force of nature as a big band boomed behind her, the three-piece horn section matching her thunder.  

You couldn’t help but be present. Dean demanded it with every heavenly note. Her voice rang out strong, golden and deep—even while shaking tambourines and bouncing with the elated energy of a child.  

“I want you to sing. I want you to dance. Maybe you might cry,” she teased. “It might feel good.”  

Dean front-loaded her perfectly paced set with modern classics from The Art of Loving. Commanding the arena like her London flat, she breezed through some of her most vocally demanding works—“So Easy (to Fall in Love)” and “Let Alone the One You Love”—with veteran accuracy. When it came time to slow things down, she took center stage with an acoustic guitar and two bandmates, turning her best songs from Messy into stripped-down re-recordings meant only for our ears.  

The balladry of “Messy” found new life with Dean screaming the last lines under the weight of her feverish band. And I walked away with a new appreciation for her isolated vocals on “UFO,” a song that Dean shared was about “being a bit frightened to fall in love and letting yourself go.”  

Dean's ability to be vulnerable also speaks to her confidence. On “Be My Own Boyfriend,” she sang with a mesmerizing sense of bravado. It’s about “falling in love with yourself,” Dean said onstage, and realizing “you don’t need anyone to complete you.”  

Love in all its greatest forms was celebrated on this night. During “Carmen,” Dean even took a moment to honor her grandmother, who emigrated to the U.K. from the Caribbean. “She was the most important person in my life, and I got a lot of wisdom from her,” she said. “This is a song for any immigrant. Anyone who’s brave enough.”  

Joy lingered with each note. And almost at once, Dean was recharged. She took to a second stage halfway through the set, performing the much-anticipated “A Couple Minutes” to an arena-full of phone flashlights. Her last few songs were back-loaded with more energy and electricity than when she began. With gazelle-like grace she danced along to “Ladies Room,” losing herself in a series of horn solos. And then came “Man I Need,” a crowd-pleaser that turned the room into a dance hall. It’s hard to top the delight we left with, confetti still sticking to our shoulders.  

Dean’s jazz influence, from her stage presence to her band, belongs in the intimate confines of a Las Vegas residency one day. But we can already tell it’ll be tough to tie her down.  

SETLIST 

“The Art of Loving” (Intro)  

“Nice to Each Other” 

“Lady Lady” 

“So Easy (to Fall in Love)”  

“Close Up” 

“Let Alone the One You Love” 

“Messy”  

“UFO” 

“Touching Toes” 

“Be My Own Boyfriend” 

“I’ve Seen It” 

“Carmen”  

“Echo” 

“Time” 

“A Couple Minutes” 

“The Hardest Part” 

“Ladies Room”  

“Move On Up” 

“OK Love You Bye” 

“It Isn’t Perfect But It Might Be” 

“Man I Need”