Olivia Dean brought some international star power to the 2025 ARIA Awards on Wednesday night (Nov. 19), where she shone with a rendition of “Man I Need.”
Dressed in a gold sequined flapper dress, and supported by a four-piece band, Dean’s performance at the Hordern Pavilion had the VIP guests on their feet.
To be fair, Dean doesn’t need anything right now. The English singer debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart in October with The Art Of Loving (via Capitol Records), her second album. The collection also summited on the Official U.K. Albums Chart.
This year alone, three of her songs have impacted the top 10 on Australia’s singles chart, including “Nice To Each Other,” “So Easy (To Fall In Love),” and “Man I Need,” which has a No. 2 peak, and was crowned in the United Kingdom.
During an earlier on-the-ground interview with the ARIAs’ co-host Concetta Caristo, Dean was asked about life in the fast lane. “A bit mental,” she quipped, “but enjoying myself.” To have The Art Of Loving go to the top here and in her homeland was a “very surreal” experience. “That album is such a piece of my heart and for it to be received so warmly is really crazy, so thank you everybody.”
It’s a similar story of success in the United States, where Dean slots into the top five of both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 this week (charts dated Nov. 22), and is poised to continue her ascent, following a well-received debut on Saturday Night Live.
The ARIAs was the first stop in a whistlestop tour that includes a special outdoor show Thursday evening (Nov. 20) at Fleet Steps, produced by Handsome Tours and Laneway Presents. The Mercury Prize-nominated singer will return to these parts in October 2026 for an arena tour of Australia and New Zealand, a trek that has added several new dates “due to overwhelming demand,” promoters say.
Watch her ARIAs performance below and read more on the ceremony here.
