Olivia Dean’s The Art Of Loving Goes Platinum in the UK

The Art Of Loving by Olivia Dean has officially becomes certified Platinum in the UK.

According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), the 2025 pop-R&B album received the BRIT Certified Platinum award on January 9, 2026, after surpassing 300 units (sales and streaming equivalents) in the UK, as measured by the Official Charts Company

The Art of Loving is the second studio album by Dean, released on 26 September 2025 through Capitol Records and Polydor Records. Spanning 34 minutes and 23 seconds, the album spends a third consecutive week on the UK Official Albums Chart this week. It is Dean’s first Platinum album in the UK follows her 2023 debut Messy which is certified Gold (100,000).

Background and Development

Following the success of Messy, Dean began work on her sophomore album in early 2025. The majority of The Art of Loving was written and recorded during an intensive eight-week period between March and April 2025, inside a large East London house converted into a live-work studio. Dean described the project as a vulnerable and intentional exploration of love, aiming to create music that felt emotionally open and universally welcoming.

The album’s title and concept were inspired by bell hooks’ writings on love and Mickalene Thomas’ exhibition All About Love. Dean has stated that the record reflects her personal understanding of love over the previous two years, touching on independence, emotional clarity, and healing.

Composition and Sound

The album consists of 12 tracks, all co-written by Dean alongside collaborators such as Julian Bunetta, Matt Hales, Leon Michels, John Ryan, Amy Allen, and Sir Nolan. Production duties were shared among Dean and a diverse group of producers, resulting in a warm, cohesive sound marked by understated arrangements, live instrumentation, and soulful vocal performances.

While pop and R&B form the album’s core, critics highlighted its subtle stylistic range, drawing comparisons to 1970s Los Angeles pop, soft rock, and classic soul traditions.

The Art OF Love spawns our singles:

• “Nice to Each Other” (30 May 2025)

• “Lady Lady” (11 July 2025)

• “Man I Need” (15 August 2025)

• “So Easy (To Fall in Love)” (26 September 2025, released alongside the album)

Reviewers praised Dean’s vocal restraint, lyrical maturity, and artistic growth. Publications such as Rolling Stone, The Guardian, The Independent, and NME described the album as a clear evolution from her debut, highlighting tracks like “Man I Need” and “Let Alone the One You Love” as career-defining moments. More reserved criticism noted occasional reliance on retro stylings, though this was generally viewed as a minor flaw.

The album appeared prominently on year-end lists, including Entertainment Weekly (#8), Rolling Stone (#19), and UK Official Charts (#11) among the best albums of 2025.

Commercial Performance and Charts

Commercially, The Art of Loving was a major international success.

• United Kingdom: Debuted at #1 with 52,366 album-equivalent units, the highest debut for a British female artist since Adele’s 30.

• Australia, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand: #1 debut.

• United States: Debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200, later peaking at #4, becoming one of the few 2025 albums to rise to a new peak after debut.

• Canada: Peaked at #4.

Notably, “Man I Need” reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart in the same week the album topped the UK Albums Chart, making Dean the first British solo female artist to achieve a simultaneous singles-and-albums number one since 2021.

Other certifications include

• New Zealand (RMNZ): Platinum — 15,000 units

• Australia (ARIA): Gold — 35,000 units

• Canada (Music Canada): Gold — 40,000 units

(All certifications reflect combined sales and streaming figures.)