Born and raised in Walthamstow, Olivia Dean caught the eye of London label AMF (Loyle Carner, Marika Hackman) with her first ever song ‘Reason to Stay’, which quickly found an online fanbase after Dean uploaded it. While this year has been hard for everyone in the music industry, some of those worst affected are undoubtedly rising artists who should be enjoying shows in fifty-cap pubs, their first merch sales and interactions with new-found fans. Unfortunately, the future of live music is unclear, although inventive people like Olivia Dean have found a way around this obstacle and that’s all thanks to a yellow van. Like some wonderful character straight out of a children’s story, Olivia Dean is embarking on a UK tour, taking her music to the people via the roads this summer. The tour, lovingly titled From Me To You, was announced alongside a new single from the British artist. ‘The Hardest Part’ is an ode to the freedom of moving on from a difficult breakup. The video directed by Claire Arnold harks back to the golden age of Motown and here Olivia Dean channels the enigmatic stars like The Supremes, The Temptations and Gladys Knight, who she grew up listening to thanks to her mum and aunties. The tour kicks off in London on August 14th, with the van then making it’s way down through Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and beyond - full details can be found here. - Hannah Thacker