Olivia Dean says immigrants 'deserve to be celebrated' during Grammys win

Olivia Dean is taking home the first Grammy of her career, and it's a big one.

The "Man I Need" singer, 26, won best new artist at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1. In an emotional acceptance speech, the London-born singer paid tribute to immigrants.

"I'm up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant," she said. "I'm a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to be celebrated."

Dean added, "We're nothing without each other." The singer also said she "never really imagined that I would be up here, let alone nominated."

This is Dean's first Grammy win and her first nomination. KATSEYE, The Marias, Addison Rae, sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren and Lola Young were also nominated in the category.

Prior to Dean, Chappell Roan was the most recent winner of the best new artist Grammy, which has previously been awarded to artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Megan Thee Stallion, Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa. Roan presented the award to Dean.

Dean's comments about immigrants come as several artists, including Billie Eilish and Justin Bieber, wore "ICE Out" pins to the Grammy Awards in protest of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In January, Renee Good and Alex Pretti were fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis amid the Trump administration's immigration enforcement operations there, sparking outrage and ongoing protests.

The Recording Academy says best new artist nominees must "have achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and impacted the musical landscape during the year's eligibility period." This is why Dean can win the award even though she has been making music for nearly a decade.

After all, Dean's debut single, "Reason to Stay," was independently released in 2018. The singer had gained attention that same year after posting a cover of "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" on YouTube after the death of Aretha Franklin.

By 2023, Dean dropped her debut studio album, "Messy." But it was her 2025 follow-up "The Art of Loving," particularly its third single "Man I Need," that helped her fully break through in the United States. The track has become a huge hit for Dean, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 after initially debuting at No. 82 on the chart in September.

"I've never been on the charts before, and I've been putting out music for quite a long time, so it's a bit of a new world for me," she told Billboard last year.

Dean's Grammy win comes after a successful fall season for the singer, who opened for Sabrina Carpenter on the Short n' Sweet Tour in October and performed as the musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" in a November episode hosted by Glen Powell.

Prior to the Grammys, Dean's previous accolades include nominations at the Brit Awards, where she tied Young for most nominations at this year's ceremony, scheduled for Feb. 28. In July, she's set to kick off the North American leg of her The Art of Loving Tour, starting with a pair of stops in San Francisco.

Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY