Olivia Dean brings the curtain down on Radio 1’s Big Weekend with ‘magic’ set

Olivia Dean stands with her arms wide, smiling. Her long dark hair is blowing to the side. She's wearing a pink dress. — It was Olivia Dean’s first time headlining a major festival

Olivia Dean has closed out BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend with a joyful set which was, as she put it, “magic”.

The UK pop girl of the moment captivated the tens of thousands who had gathered at the main stage with her mesmerising vocals, delighting them with soulful renditions of hits including Dive, The Hardest Part and So Easy (To Fall In Love).

From floral stage design and a live band, to her elegant shimmering dresses and words of wisdow – the performance had it all.

“I cannot believe I am headlining this festival,” Dean admitted to the crowd, reflecting on her colossal rise since she played the Big Weekend Introducing Stage in 2023.

“To think of everything that has happened since then is just crazy.”

Olivia Dean sings into a microphone. She is standing on stage infront of a pink background. She is wearing a pink mini dress with sparkling tassles. — The British pop star serenaded tens of thousands as the sun set in Sunderland

The Brit starlet has had a standout past year, securing major award wins and topping the charts with her infectious pop songs.

Earlier this year, she cemented her position as one of the most exciting artists in the UK when she picked up four awards at the Brits, including best British artist and best album for her second record, The Art of Loving.

The 27-year-old Londoner also picked up the Grammy Award for best new artist and took home three Mobo Awards in recent months.

She has built a loyal fanbase, which spans across generations and continents, thanks to her joyful and romantic pop songs, which also expand into the worlds of jazz, alternative, R&B and folk.

As Dean brought the curtain down on her set, and the weekend, with a vibrant performance of her number one single Man I Need, pink fireworks and confetti errupted across the sky.

“This has just been magic,” she told the crowd, and their rapturous applause signalled that they agreed.

Olivia Dean is seen on stage on a screen, with pink lights and smoke in the sunset. — Fireworks and confetti lit up the sky to close out Olivia Dean’s headline set

It was Costa del Sunderland in Herrington Country Park on Sunday, with temperatures soaring to 24 degrees, but the performances across the final day of Big Weekend were even hotter.

Straight off the back of winning the best album Ivor Novello earlier this week for her latest offering, Euro-Country, Irish singer CMAT stormed the main stage.

She used the performance to show the crowd why she is one of the defining songwriters, and most exciting live performers, of our time.

CMAT sings, wearing black sunglasses and a blue cape, her hair red, into a microphone while holding a guitar. — Irish singer CMAT showcased why she is one of the most exciting performers at the moment

She two-stepped, line danced and dramatically collapsed to the floor – the set was jam-packed.

And of course at the heart of it were powerful renditions of a host of her hits, including Stay For Something, When A Good Man Cries and I Don’t Really Care For You.

She also told the crowd that after she played Big Weekend in 2024, she received a host of “very nasty comments” about her physical appearance.

“It’s crazy because I’m actually very sexy,” she announced, before removing her shirt to reveal a light blue, semi-see-through ruffled two piece, and this time the audience gave her a roaring applause.

She then launched into Take A Sexy Picture Of Me, which calls out the extreme beauty standards women face.

A crowd of people watch on to a stage, which is lit up blue with white lights beaming down. — Ezra Collective brought their signature party atmosphere to the New Music stage

Over on the New Music stage, Brighton singer-songwriter Maisie Peters thanked the crowd for popping her Big Weekend cherry.

Her debut performance at the festival comes just days after she released her stripped-back third album, Florescence, and she took the opportunity to play some new tracks, including Questions and My Regards.

She was followed by jazz band Ezra Collective, who are notorious for creating a vibe at festivals, and they did not let the crowd down.

Festivalgoers were spilling out of the tent to catch a glimpse of their percussive, high energy performance that straddles the line between jazz, funk, reggae and carnival.

Kehlani performs on stage wearing a black leather bra top and shorts, paired with black knee-high boots. She has black hair with green highlights. She is crouched down on the stage, leaning on a red baseball bat. — American singer Kehlani rolled out the hits on the main stage

Earlier in the day, Irish singer Dermot Kennedy belted out a host of crowd-pleasers when he took to the main stage, with US singer Kehlani later bringing the heat.

Thousands were also serenaded by ex-One Direction singer Niall Horan, who made a surprise appearance during Stargazing singer Myles Smith’s main stage set for their collab, Drive Safe.

Girl group Flo declared “R&B is back” when they picked up their Mobo Award earlier this year, and the trio proved that was true during their performance on the New Music stage.

Later on, Jorja Smith delivered a “party set” in the same tent, followed by Holly Humberstone’s more ‘gothic’ vibe.

Across the three-day event, festivalgoers also witnessed an electric headline set from Swedish pop star Zara Larsson and were taken on a nostalgia-fuelled ride by veteran DJ Fatboy Slim.