Dean was born in the London Borough of Haringey to an English father and a Jamaican-Guyanese mother.

[7] In primary school, she sang "Tomorrow" from the musical Annie in a competition and was so nervous that she initially turned her back to the audience and started crying from stage fright, although she did win second place.

[5][9][10] At first, she studied theatre, but she switched disciplines to songwriting and convinced her mother to buy a second-hand piano.

[4] In November 2019, she released her debut EP, OK Love You Bye, recorded in a converted east London pub.

[19] She released a cover of The Supremes's "You Can't Hurry Love" recorded at Jools' Annual Hootenanny on 9 October 2024.

[20] Dean has cited Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Carole King and the Supremes as inspirations.

[4] Dean only works with female directors for her music videos and describes herself as "a very strong feminist".