🎙️ Opening
🎵 Have you ever listened to a song and immediately thought, “Wait, why does this feel like it was written about me?”
💔 Maybe you’re getting over someone.
💌 Maybe you’re falling in love.
💅 Or maybe you’re just entering your main-character era.
🎧 Whatever the mood, there’s something about a really good voice that makes you stop scrolling and start feeling things.
✨ And lately, one British singer has been doing exactly that.
👑 Meet Olivia Dean. The internet has been calling her pop’s new princess, and honestly, it’s not hard to see why.
🎶 With her warm vocals, retro-inspired sound, and lyrics that feel like conversations with a close friend, she’s becoming the kind of artist you want on your playlist and on your concert bucket list.
🇮🇩 And guess what? She’s coming to Indonesia!
🎤 Olivia Dean is set to headline LaLaLa Fest in Jakarta on January 17, 2027, at ICE BSD City, with additional appearances at LaLaLa Fest in Manila and Bangkok.
👀 But here’s a question: what if the next singer who gives you that same warm, soulful feeling isn’t halfway across the world?
🌏 What if she’s already making music right here in Southeast Asia?
🎧 Let’s find out.
🧭 Hello and welcome to The Southeast Asia Desk Weekly Dispatch Podcast. I’m Landra Saraswati, this is where we slow down the headlines and make sense of the stories shaping Southeast Asia.
👑 Meet Olivia Dean: The Girl Behind the Voice
🎵 First things first, who exactly is Olivia Dean?
🇬🇧 Olivia is a British singer-songwriter who grew up in Walthamstow, East London.
🎤 She studied at the BRIT School, the same performing arts school that has produced a number of British music stars.
🎶 Her sound blends soul, R&B, jazz, and pop, with a little vintage charm thrown into the mix.
💿 She began building her career through a series of EPs before releasing her debut album, Messy, in 2023.
📈 The album earned critical acclaim and a Mercury Prize nomination, helping introduce her to a much wider audience.
💖 Then came The Art of Loving, her second album, released in 2025.
🎧 As the title suggests, the album explores love in all its forms: romantic love, friendship, self-love, and everything in between.
🌟 And Olivia’s career has been anything but messy.
📊 The album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart, while her single Man I Need also topped the UK Singles Chart.
🏆 In 2026, she won the Grammy for Best New Artist, adding another milestone to her growing career.
🎵 Not bad for someone whose music often feels like she’s just sitting across from you, telling you how she feels.
💌 So, What’s the Olivia Dean Effect?
🤔 But here’s the interesting part.
🎧 Olivia isn’t exactly making music that demands you dance on a table or scream at the top of your lungs.
💃 Well, unless that’s your thing. No judgment!
🎵 Her appeal is a little different.
✨ Take Man I Need. It’s playful, confident, and full of feel-good energy.
💌 Then there’s So Easy (To Fall in Love), which makes falling for someone sound, well, pretty easy.
💔 And if you want something more introspective, her music has plenty of those moments, too.
🎶 What ties it all together is a voice that feels effortless, arrangements that borrow from classic soul, and songwriting that doesn’t need to shout to get your attention.
🫶 Her music feels personal without being overly dramatic.
📱 And in a world where we’re constantly being told what to watch, wear, and listen to next, that kind of sincerity can feel refreshing.
🎧 It’s music you can put on while getting ready, travelling home, having coffee, or overthinking that one text message you probably shouldn’t have sent.
🤷 We’ve all been there.
🌏 But here’s where things get interesting for us in Southeast Asia.
🎵 Because that combination of soulful vocals, personal storytelling, and easy-listening grooves isn’t exclusive to British pop.
🎤 The region has its own women artists creating music that deserves a spot on your playlist.
🌏 Your Next Soulful Playlist Might Be Closer Than You Think
🇮🇩 Let’s start in Indonesia.
🎤 If you love the emotional honesty in Olivia’s music, give Yura Yunita a listen.
💖 Songs like Tutur Batin explore self-worth, vulnerability, and the courage to be yourself.
🎶 Her music leans more into Indonesian pop, with soulful vocals and emotionally expressive songwriting.
✨ It’s not an exact match for Olivia’s sound, but the connection is there: both artists know how to make a song feel personal.
🎧 And sometimes, that’s all you need.
🇮🇩 Now, if you’re looking for something with more of an R&B groove, try RINNI, also known as Rinni Wulandari.
🎵 With her contemporary R&B sound, she brings a smoother, more rhythm-driven energy to the conversation.
💃 So if Olivia’s laid-back grooves are your thing, RINNI is worth adding to your rotation.
🇲🇾 Let’s cross over to Malaysia.
🎤 Meet Aisha Retno, a singer-songwriter whose music moves between pop, R&B, and soul.
🎶 Her sound brings a contemporary edge to those familiar ingredients: expressive vocals, melodic hooks, and songs that can be both catchy and emotionally charged.
🌏 She’s a reminder that Southeast Asian artists don’t have to sound exactly like international stars to connect with the same listeners.
🇸🇬 And from Singapore, there’s Amni Musfirah.
🎧 A singer and songwriter with a background in soul and R&B, Amni has a rich, textured voice and a strong focus on musical storytelling.
🎼 She’s also a songwriter whose work extends beyond her own recordings, including writing and producing music for other artists.
✨ For listeners who love the warmth and vocal character in Olivia’s music, Amni is another name worth discovering.
🎵 Four artists, four different musical identities, and one thing in common: they all show how much range there is in the region’s women-led music scene.
🎧 More Than Finding the Next Olivia Dean
🤔 Now, let’s be clear.
🌏 We’re not saying these artists are the Southeast Asian versions of Olivia Dean.
🎤 They each have their own sound, language, influences, and stories to tell.
💡 And that’s precisely the point.
🎶 Discovering music isn’t about finding a local replacement for an international star.
🫶 It’s about finding artists whose music speaks to you, even if they come from a different city, sing in a different language, or tell stories rooted in a different culture.
📱 And with streaming platforms making music from across borders easier to access, discovering a new favourite artist no longer has to start with a major international festival.
🎧 It can start with one song recommended by a friend.
💬 One performance that appears on your feed.
🌏 Or one artist you stumble upon while looking for someone who sounds a little like Olivia Dean.
🎵 Then, before you know it, you’ve found a whole new playlist.
🎙️ Closing
✨ So, Olivia Dean might be the artist everyone’s talking about right now.
👑 And if you’re heading to LaLaLa Fest in January, you have every reason to be excited.
🎤 But while we’re waiting for her to take the stage in Jakarta, why not give Southeast Asia’s own soulful women artists a chance?
🎧 Start with Yura Yunita, RINNI, Aisha Retno, or Amni Musfirah. You might discover a new favourite along the way.
🌏 Because great music doesn’t need a passport to make you feel something.
💬 Now, here’s a question for you: if you love Olivia Dean, which Southeast Asian woman artist would you recommend to someone who wants that same soulful vibe?
🎙️ I’m Landra Saraswati, and this has been The Southeast Asia Desk Weekly Dispatch Podcast, where we slow down the noise and follow the region’s compass.
📬 If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to our newsletter at thesoutheastasiadesk.com and join us again next weekend for stories to linger over, one weekend at a time.
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