GIVĒON

Grammy-nominated R&B artist Givēon is an elegant baritone vocalist with a thoughtful approach to songwriting. He made his major-label debut in 2019 with "Like I Want You," a bluesy, retro-contemporary ballad that registered on multiple Billboard R&B charts and paved the way for a fruitful and busy 2020. Givēon's breakout year was highlighted by the short form releases Take Time and When It's All Said and Done, a featured appearance on Drake's Top 20 pop hit "Chicago Freestyle," and similar success with his own "Heartbreak Anniversary." After Take Time was nominated for a Grammy, that EP and its follow-up were combined as 2021's When It's All Said and Done...Take Time, a gold-certified release issued around the same time as "Peaches," his smash collaboration with Justin Bieber and Daniel Caesar. All of this activity and acclaim built up to 2022's Give or Take, the source of the RIAA-certified singles "For Tonight," "Lie Again," and "Lost Me." He returned in 2025 with Beloved, a ballad-oriented follow-up suffused with '70s inspirations.

Long Beach native Giveon Evans got into music as a youngster and first sang publicly in school. Participating in the Recording Academy's Grammy U program at the age of 18, he had a breakthrough when he was encouraged to perform "Fly Me to the Moon" in the style of Frank Sinatra. This prompted him to fully utilize and hone his baritone range. In 2018, he released a pair of introspective ballads, "Garden Kisses" and "Fields," as his first commercial recordings. He then landed a deal with Epic, and in 2019 issued "Like I Want You," a single produced by Sevn Thomas, Jahaan Sweet, and River Tiber. Its release coincided with performances that fall as an opening act on a North America tour headlined by Snoh Aalegra.

In March 2020, Givēon released his debut EP, Take Time, by which point "Like I Want You" had reached Billboard's R&B Songs and Adult R&B Songs charts, peaking respectively at numbers 12 and 20. Shortly after "Heartbreak Anniversary" was released as the second single from Take Time, Givēon entered Drake's network by appearing on Dark Lane Demo Tapes as the featured vocalist on the number 14 Hot 100 hit "Chicago Freestyle," which he also co-wrote. That October, Givēon issued a briefer second EP, When It's All Said and Done. Three of its four songs, including the Aalegra collaboration "Last Time," also charted. Take Time was subsequently nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best R&B Album.

When It's All Said and Done...Take Time bundled all the material from the like-titled releases and added a new track, "All to Me," in March 2021, the same month Givēon was featured on Justin Bieber's number one pop hit, the Grammy-nominated "Peaches." Meanwhile, "Heartbreak Anniversary" had become popular on TikTok. That July, the song peaked at number 16 on the Hot 100, and was certified multi-platinum, leading to a Grammy nomination of its own for Best R&B Song. Givēon appeared on Drake's Certified Lover Boy as a featured artist and co-writer of "In the Bible." Anticipation for his first proper album increased with two more RIAA-certified hits: the heart-on-sleeve ballad "For Tonight" and the equally vulnerable "Lie Again." Both songs appeared on Give or Take, which entered the Billboard 200 at number 11 upon release in June 2022, and yielded another gold single with "Lost Me." After featured appearances on songs by Ayra Starr ("Last Heartbreak Song") and Teddy Swims (the charting "Are You Even Real"), Givēon returned in February 2025 with the regretful throwback ballad "Twenties." Beloved, his lush second album, followed four months later with touches of vintage R&B in additional highlights like "Rather Be" and "I Can Tell." ~ Andy Kellman