You’re given a whiteboard and an Expo marker and asked to write what love means to you. What would you scrawl down?

The epitome of love is controversial. For many, they either love the families they tend to at home, “just because” flowers, the sea breeze kissing tanned skin, or initials engraved in bark and nonsensical chatter at bonfires.

On September 26, 2025, British singer and songwriter Olivia Dean released her debut R&B and soul album, “The Art of Loving.” In the album, Dean explores how beautiful it is to surrender to love, which is natural, whether platonic, romantic, or authentic. Dean praises love as a continuous exercise that highlights fantasy outweighing reality, reciprocity, and self-actualization, encouraging the listeners to embrace the overwhelming emotions it evokes.

In retrospect, the art of love has been illustrated in fiction and nonfiction. Take old tales of damsels in distress or obsessing on the science of our solar system, for instance. Whatever love may mean to you, Dean wrote this album to convey that such infatuation depends on one’s passions and languages of love. Here are four of 12 tracks that draw into the realm of adoration. 

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“So Easy (To Fall In Love)”

“The way I do my hair, the way I make you laugh

The way we like to share, a walk in Central Park

I could be fresh air, might be the girl of your dreams (dream, dream)

There’s no need to hide if you’re into me

‘Cause I’m into you quite intimately

And maybe one night could turn into three

Well, I’m down to see”

In this track, Dean displays herself as “Cupid” with her irresistible charisma as an arrow to the heart, making one fall in love with haste. Dean praises herself, reassuring her love interests that they are lucky to be in her life, characterizing love as a joyful experience and an opportunity to foster authenticity. She stresses how natural love should come across and the importance of confidence in a healthy relationship that still opens pathways for nonsense and stability. This is definitely one of the songs you listen to for a confidence boost or to remind yourself that you may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and that is okay.

“Let Alone The One You Love”

“Thought I was done with this feeling

Really thought you could be him

Thought I was safe, hmm

You were the warmth that I needed

Like a breeze in the evening

And then you changed

You’re all the same, yeah”

Here, Dean exposes the inevitable in the labyrinths of finding “the one.” Specifically, the feelings of disrespect and unrequited love. She stresses the normalcy of demanding boundaries to preserve self-respect and to prevent an environment of toxicity and naivety. This is an anthem of empowerment to break free from the shackles of someone whose shadow dwindles your mental capacity. Dean’s usage of inclusive diction is also a way to put such careless figures in a relationship in their place, so that such behavior is not attractive and a wake-up call to do better to see promising progress in one’s love life. 

“Man I Need” 

“Tell me you got something to give, I want it

I kinda like it when you call me wonderful

Whatever the type of talk it is, come on then

I gotta know you’re meant to be the man I need”

Through Dean’s bouncy pop energy in the track, she is able to convey the confidence of knowing what you deserve in a relationship and demanding a partner to step up and meet this simple standard. The song is a plea for self-worth and a call for a quality relationship as she pleads for her partner to be more emotionally intelligent and meet her at the same level of dedication. Additionally, we are able to see Dean’s courage in knowing her own self-worth and knowing truly right for her, which is backed by her beautiful and upbeat lyricism. 

“I’ve Seen It” 

“The more you look, the more you find

It’s all around you all the time

Catches your eye, you blink, and then it’s gone

Brings out the worst, brings out the best”

During the track, Dean creates a song with a reflective tone about the complex nature of love. Throughout the lyrics, she lists out a variety of different places that love can be found and emphasizes that love is not just romance, but is found in a variety of places. Additionally, the track encompasses joy and pain by creating a simple message that love is the key to kindness. Although it focuses on the positives of love, the song acknowledges love’s contradictions, which can bring out the best and worst in a person. 

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As the seasons of love change, it becomes more difficult to understand what love can really mean to you. However, to put it simply, it is not always one singular thing. Love is found everywhere in all that we interact with. Additionally, we figure out how difficult it is to find “the one,” especially if they don’t meet your standard of emotional intelligence by having self-respect. Through Dean’s album, we can learn about the intricacies of love that can be found anywhere, not only in romance.