Olivia Dean Is Reportedly Dating Producer Eddie Burns — Here’s What We Actually Know
Singer-songwriter Olivia Dean, fresh off a Grammy win and Saturday Night Live performance, has been spotted with Chicago drummer and producer Eddie Burns on several occasions, sparking widespread dating speculation that neither has confirmed.
The First Sighting
Dean was first publicly linked to Burns in July 2025 after the two were seen arriving at Wimbledon together, holding hands. The quiet, candid moment immediately sent fans into detective mode across social media. They were later seen in March 2026 together as they stepped out during Fashion Week in Paris, France.
Neither Dean nor Burns has confirmed a romantic relationship.
The Burns speculation wasn’t Dean’s first brush with high-profile dating rumors. Prior to Burns, Dean was linked to Harry Styles after the two were seen spending time together multiple times in fall 2024.
Neither Dean nor Styles confirmed a relationship at any point. Styles is now believed to be dating actress Zoë Kravitz, which has shifted public attention away from those earlier rumors and onto Dean’s apparent new connection with Burns.
A Massive Career Moment
Whatever has been happening in Dean’s personal life, her professional trajectory has been remarkable. She performed on Saturday Night Live in November 2025 and won a Grammy for Best New Artist in February 2026.
Her 2025 album, The Art of Loving, is rooted in deeply personal material. In a December 2025 interview with Nylon, Dean opened up about the experiences behind the record, explaining it was written after a difficult year.
“I call it the bin fire year,” she said of 2024. “That’s what last year felt like for me.”
That same interview revealed Dean has stepped away from dating apps entirely. “I don’t love that it’s like, ‘You could have whoever you want.’ Just swipe, swipe, swipe. It all feels a bit too disposable,” she told Nylon.
Dean’s Deliberate Approach to Privacy
One of the most notable aspects of Dean’s public persona is how firmly she separates her art from her personal life — even when the art is explicitly autobiographical.
In an October 2025 interview with Glamour, when asked directly whether she was seeing anyone, Dean responded simply: “I’d rather not comment.”
She also explained the philosophy behind that boundary. “I’m always talking about my own life. But I really want people to think about themselves when they’re listening to [my music too],” she told Glamour.
Dean isn’t being evasive — she’s making a deliberate choice about what she shares and what she keeps for herself.
Who Is Eddie Burns?
For those unfamiliar, Burns is a drummer and music producer from Chicago who began playing drums at age 6. According to an interview with The Daily Northwestern published in March 2025, his father is a classical trumpet player who influenced his early interest in music.
Burns has collaborated with an impressive roster of artists, including Clairo, Frank Ocean, Dominic Fike and Omar Apollo. His work with Clairo dates back to 2018, and he produced her song “4EVER.”
He also performed with Clairo when she opened for Khalid at the United Center in Chicago and later served as a drummer during Clairo’s Charm Tour.
That United Center performance held deep personal significance for Burns. “I accepted, in that moment, I would never make it to the league,” he told the outlet, referring to giving up basketball for music. “But then we played (at) the United Center and I was like, ‘Maybe, in a way, I did make it to the league.’”
Burns also spoke about the creative environment that shaped him. “In Chicago, we do it because we love it, and it’s a place that is an agent for creativity,” he said in the same interview.
Production of this article included the use of AI. It was reviewed and edited by a team of content specialists.
