British soul singer, 26, throws hat in ring to write next James Bond hit
'If they'll have me.'
Singing the James Bond theme song is almost as prestigious as playing 007 himself and one rising star is boldly putting her name forward.
Olivia Dean, 26, revealed she would love to do the next Bond song, humbly adding: ‘If they’ll have me. ‘
She would join the legacy of Adele, Sam Smith, Sir Paul McCartney, Duran Duran, Tina Turner, and the unforgettable Dame Shirley Bassey.
Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas O’Connell, co-wrote the last Bond hit No Time To Die, which secured an Oscar win in 2022.
But Olivia isn’t a stranger to writing big hits for British icons, as she was the voice behind It Isn’t Perfect But It Might Be from Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy.
The Dive singer told The One Show: ‘I’ve never made a song before that’s, like, not from my own perspective. I very much chronicle my own emotions.’
She’s already done the theme for another British icon – Bridget Jones (Picture: Jo Hale/Redferns)She continued: ‘So it was quite fun to get into the Bridget Jones character. She’s a very classic icon for me. And it was really fun. I loved it.
‘I’d love to do it again. Next I’d like to do Bond. If they’ll have me, I will do it.’
Olivia’s sound is a neo-soul pop infusion, with her debut album Messy climbing up the UK charts to number four on release.
She was nominated for a Mercury Prize for the album in 2023, losing to Ezra Collective, but was named BBC Introducing’s Artist of the Year.
In 2024, the Time singer continued to grow and was nominated for three Brit Awards as well as making her Glastonbury debut on the Pyramid Stage.
Olivia had a mammoth year after releasing her debut album (Picture: Dave Simpson/WireImage)Olivia has cited female singers like Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse, Adele, and The Supremes as influences.
Her bid for Bond comes as the franchise appears to be in a bit of free-fall with no new 007 named so far and a deal which sees Amazon take over creative control.
This came as siblings Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, who have produced the Bond films together since 1995’s GoldenEye, stepped back.
Fans have expressed concern that the British icon that is James Bond will be Americanised and oversaturated.
It has now been revealed that Amy Pascal and David Heyman will produce the next film in the Bond series – with further details yet to be announced.
Bond’s future is a little shakey right now (Picture: Col Pics/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)Speaking about taking on the next film, the Spider-Man producers said in a joint statement: ‘James Bond is one of the most iconic characters in the history of cinema.
‘We are humbled to follow in the footsteps of Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson who made so many extraordinary films and honoured and excited to keep the spirit of Bond very much alive as he embarks on his next adventure.’
Only time will tell what the future holds for Bond – and whether Olivia will be bringing her vocals to the franchise.
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