Shoutout to Olivia Dean for bringing her good self to SNL last night, an understated, soulful first outing
Olivia Dean has officially ticked off another milestone, making her Saturday Night Live debut over the weekend with a pair of quietly stunning performances.
Keeping things unfussy and firmly in her lane, she pulled two tracks from The Art of Loving, ‘Man I Need’ and ‘Let Alone the One You Love,’ and delivered them with the kind of confidence that says she knows exactly who she is as an artist.
‘Man I Need’ opened the night, all warm vocals and understated soul, letting her band set the mood rather than drowning it in theatrics. It’s the kind of performance that works because she doesn’t push, she just lets the song breathe.
She followed it with ‘Let Alone the One You Love,’ a slower, more intimate cut that showcased what Dean does best: honest, unhurried storytelling.
@nbcsnl Let Alone The One You Love – @Olivia Dean ♬ original sound – Saturday Night Live – SNL
For a first SNL outing, it landed beautifully, polished but natural, confident without showboating.
Dean didn’t try to reinvent herself for American late-night TV; she simply brought the world of The Art of Loving onto the stage and let it speak for itself.
Exactly the kind of debut that makes you want to see what she does next.
