Giveon | |
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 Giveon in 2020 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Giveon Dezmann Evans[1] |
| Born | (1995-02-21)February 21, 1995 (age 30) Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2018–present |
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| Website | giveonofficial |
Giveon Dezmann Evans (/ˈɡɪviən/[4] born February 21, 1995), knownmononymously asGiveon (stylized asGIVĒON), is an AmericanR&B singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence with his 2020 song "Chicago Freestyle" (withDrake), which peaked at number 14 on theBillboard Hot 100. That same year, Giveon signed withEpic Records to release two extended plays: theGrammy Award-nominatedTake Time andWhen It's All Said and Done; the former was preceded by the single "Heartbreak Anniversary", which peaked at number 16 on the chart and receivedquintuple platinum certification by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Evans guest performed alongsideDaniel Caesar onJustin Bieber's 2021 single "Peaches", which debuted atop theBillboard Global 200,Billboard Hot 100, andCanadian Hot 100, and received fourGrammy Award nominations. That same year, his two EPs were bundled into the compilation albumWhen It's All Said and Done.... Take Time (2021), which peaked at number five on theBillboard 200. His debut studio album,Give or Take (2022), peaked at number 11 on the chart.
Giveon Dezmann Evans was born inLong Beach, California.[5][6] He and his two brothers grew up in a home with a single mother; he realized his passion for music at a young age, often singing at birthday parties. He credits his mother with pushing him to explore this early love for music and protecting him and his brothers from the pressures of gang culture and poverty.[7] He attendedLong Beach Polytechnic High School,[8] and took a music education program at theGrammy Museum at age 18, where he fell in love withFrank Sinatra, whose bellowing voice was inspiring to the teenager.[9][3] Giveon listened to R&B and soul and was also greatly inspired by Drake. Giveon fell in love withBarry White andFrank Sinatra music through a Recording Academy program where kids got to learn about music history. Giveon was inspired by 1960s jazz and wanted to modernize what he heard.[10]
Giveon self-released his debut single "Garden Kisses" in August 2018.[11] Shortly after that he was discovered byCanadian record producerSevn Thomas, who found him on a random playlist onSoundCloud, and later signed him to his record label Not So Fast andEpic Records.[12] After signing, he started to perform his original songs at different live venues, including "Like I Want You", before recording them professionally. In November 2019, he released the single "Like I Want You" shortly before serving as an opening act forSnoh Aalegra on herUgh, A Mini Tour Again of Europe and North America.[13][14][15]
In 2019, Giveon toured with Snoh Aalegra, where Giveon would often freestyle as he only had two songs out at the time. Giveon's manager sent his freestyle performance fromChicago toDrake. It led to their collaboration "Chicago Freestyle", which is how the single got its name.[10] In February 2020, he was featured onDrake's single "Chicago Freestyle", which had only been uploaded toSoundCloud andYouTube at the time.[16] In March 2020, he released his debut EP,Take Time, which was executive produced by Thomas.[11] The EP toppedBillboard'sHeatseekers Albums chart, earning Giveon his first charting project.[17]Take Time also received acclaim from contemporary music critics who called it "breathtaking" and "polished".[18][19] In May 2020, "Chicago Freestyle" was released on streaming platforms, alongside Drake's mixtape,Dark Lane Demo Tapes. The song peaked at number 14 on theBillboard Hot 100, earning Giveon his firstBillboard-charting single.[20] It also became a top 40 single in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Switzerland. In September 2020, Giveon announced the release of his four track secondextended play (EP),When It's All Said and Done,[21] and released its lead single, "Stuck on You".[22] After being released on October 2, 2020, the EP debuted at number 93 on theBillboard 200.[23] With a rapid increase of mainstream attention, Giveon's singles "Stuck on You" and "Like I Want You" began to enter a number ofBillboards R&B charts in late 2020, with the latter later beingcertified gold by theRecording Industry Association of America in December 2020.[24] During that time, Giveon earned his firstGrammy Award nomination whenTake Time was nominated forBest R&B Album at the2021 Grammy Awards.[25][26] He also made his debut television performance onJimmy Kimmel Live!, performing "Stuck on You".[27][28]
During the week of February 27, 2021, Giveon earned his second and thirdBillboard Hot 100 entries with "Heartbreak Anniversary" and "Like I Want You", entering the chart at numbers 74 and 95, respectively. On March 12, he released the compilation album,When It's All Said and Done... Take Time, a combination of his first two EPs, which included a new song titled "All to Me".[29][30] Just a week later, he was featured alongsideDaniel Caesar onJustin Bieber's hit single "Peaches" from his albumJustice.[31]
On September 16, 2022, Epic Records revealed that Giveon recorded a track for the filmAmsterdam called “Time,” co-written byDrake.[32]
On November 3, 2023, Giveon released two Christmas songs that consisted of two covers, "O Christmas Tree" and "The First Noel". Since then, Giveon has appeared as a feature on Arya Starr's "Last Heartbreak Song" which was released on May 31, 2024, and on Teddy Swims's single "Are You Even Real" which was released on January 10, 2025. He then kicked off his latest era by releasing the single "Twenties" on February 7th, 2025.
Giveon is known for hisbaritone vocals.[33] He is inspired by jazz music from the 1960s and 1970s.[33] He citesFrank Sinatra,Frank Ocean,Drake,Adele, andSampha as some of his biggest influences.[34]
Headlining
Supporting
| Organization | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | 2023 | Best Original Song | "Time"fromAmsterdam (2022 film) | Shortlisted | [38] |
| American Music Awards | 2022 | Favorite Male R&B Artist | Giveon | Nominated | [39] |
| BET Awards | 2021 | Best Male R&B/Pop Artist | Nominated | [40] | |
| Best New Artist | Won | ||||
| Grammy Awards | 2021 | Best R&B Album | Take Time | Nominated | [25] |
| 2022 | Album of the Year | Justice(as featured artist and songwriter) | Nominated | [41] | |
| Record of the Year | "Peaches"(withJustin Bieber &Daniel Caesar) | Nominated | |||
| Song of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Best R&B Performance | Nominated | ||||
| Best Music Video | Nominated | ||||
| Best R&B Song | "Heartbreak Anniversary" | Nominated | |||
| MTV Video Music Awards | 2021 | Best New Artist | Giveon | Nominated | [42] |
| Best Collaboration | "Peaches"(withJustin Bieber &Daniel Caesar) | Nominated | |||
| Best Pop | Won | ||||
| Best Editing | Nominated | ||||
| Song of Summer | Nominated | [43] | |||
| "Heartbreak Anniversary" | Nominated | ||||
| Best R&B | Nominated | [44] | |||
| NAACP Image Awards | 2021 | Outstanding New Artist | Giveon | Nominated | [45] |
| 2022 | Outstanding Male Artist | Giveon | Nominated | [46] | |
| Outstanding Album | When It's All Said and Done... Take Time | Nominated | |||
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | 2022 | Best New R&B Artist | Giveon | Won | [47] |
| R&B Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Best New Pop Artist | Nominated | ||||
| Song of the Year | "Peaches" (feat.Daniel Caesar and Giveon) | Nominated | |||
| Best Music Video | Nominated | ||||
| Best Collaboration | Nominated | ||||
| R&B Song of the Year | "Heartbreak Anniversary" | Nominated |
Giveon introduced himself to a small part of the world as the opening act on Snoh Aalegra's 2019 tour, 'Ugh, A Mini Tour Again.' Here he graced fans with eyebrow-raising performances of songs like "Garden Kisses" and "Like I Want You" and left his newfound supporters to declare him as their "crush" and request he sing at their wedding reception.
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